Leveraging sawmill operation to supply biomass and green hydrogen for sustainable energy
Sweetman Sawmill Operation
Sweetman Renewables Ltd plans to undertake a significant expansion to double the existing capacity of the sawmill through a new, automated low-quality log processing line with the ability to value add production to better support the growing demand from industrial, construction and building customers across Australia.
The expanded operation also provides the ability of the sawmill to boost production of timber waste material used to create biomass, providing another new significant revenue stream for the business.
Sweetman Renewables Ltd has acquired forested land as part of the acquisition and is likely to acquire further land in the area to provide sustainable feedstock for the expanded sawmill operations and related future biomass processing activities.
The history of the Sawmill
The company has been trading as Sweetman’s Timber in the Hunter Valley of NSW for nearly 100 years.
Sweetman Renewables Ltd is founded on the reputation and success of R.A. Sweetman and Sons. The company also has the longest, continuous log supply contractual arrangements with the government in New South Wales. Sweetman’s Timber has been a remarkably successful timber supply company that is testament to the legacy of generations of Sweetman family members who have managed and operated this sawmilling complex over the decades. Sweetman is one of the founding pioneer families in the Hunter Valley.1820 —
The district was settled early in the colonisation of Australia when soldiers, sailors, ex-convicts, and new settlers travelled up the Hawkesbury River and crossed overland into the Hunter Valley region. William Sweetman arrived on the ship Morley (3) in 1820 aged 10. The district was settled early in the colonisation of Australia when soldiers, sailors, ex-convicts, and new settlers travelled up the Hawkesbury River and crossed overland into the Hunter Valley region.William Sweetman arrived on the ship Morley (3) in 1820 aged 10. Also, on board was his mother Sarah Sweetman a convict having been sentenced in the Middlesex Gaol on 1 December 1819 to seven years transportation. William was industrious and energetic.
1828 —
About 1828 with the Mitchell family he moved to a clearing lease in the Wollombi district.
1835 —
Marrying Sophia Budd in 1835 Willian bought a 40-acre block in the district. His descendants subsequently acquired 17 portions of Crown land between the sites of Millfield and Wollombi.Sweetman sawmilling and timber business enterprises has been a standout commercial success.
1885 —
William Sweetman passed away on 7 July 1885 and is buried in the Wollombi cemetery. Over the past hundred years the Sweetman family has been involved in the development of the region, particularly in sawmilling and timber supply.
