 Solid Energy believed that its proposed projects “could unlock the vast potential of Southland’s multi-billion tonne lignite deposits by making them into high value products”.In January 2011, Southland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Richard Hay predicted that the full lignite to briquette plant and the lignite to fertiliser plant might employ up to 2,300 people which would transform the fortunes of the town of Mataura.One of the projects was to make fuel briquettes from lignite.