July 17, 2025 – Canberra, Australia — The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has raised preliminary concerns over Acciona’s proposed acquisition of the East Rockingham Waste to Energy Project, warning that the deal could significantly reduce competition in Western Australia’s waste disposal market.
In a Statement of Issues released today, the ACCC highlighted the risk of diminished competition between the only two waste-to-energy facilities in the Perth and Peel region—Acciona’s existing Kwinana facility and the East Rockingham project, which is currently in administration and up for sale.
“Our preliminary view is that the proposed acquisition is likely to substantially lessen competition in the supply of putrescible waste disposal services in the region,” said ACCC Commissioner Dr Philip Williams.
Both facilities will process residual putrescible waste for energy recovery and are geographically close. Market feedback has indicated they are each other’s closest competitors, offering near-identical services to municipal and commercial clients.
Acciona already holds a 10% stake in East Rockingham, is one of its creditors, and serves as its engineering, procurement, and construction contractor. The Spanish infrastructure giant also owns and operates the Kwinana Waste-to-Energy facility, currently nearing full operational status.
The ACCC is concerned that full ownership of both facilities would give Acciona the ability to raise prices or reduce service quality, particularly in the absence of any current or near-future competitors in the waste-to-energy space. Given the high costs, long lead times, and regulatory hurdles involved, no new waste-to-energy facility is expected to come online in Western Australia for at least a decade.
The watchdog is also assessing whether landfills or other waste disposal options might act as a sufficient competitive constraint on Acciona’s market power.
The ACCC is inviting submissions from interested stakeholders until 31 July 2025. More details are available on the ACCC’s website under the Acciona – East Rockingham Waste to Energy Project case file.
