 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.A pilot briquetting plant was planned for either the former Mataura Mine site, or the former Mataura Paper Mill.