Wonga/Templemore Methane Digestion Ponds

Wonga/Templemore Methane Digestion Ponds is a waste-to-energy carbon project located near the town of Young in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales. Registered in January 2014, the project operates across Windridge Farms' two main intensive piggery sites: "Wonga," situated approximately 5km northwest of Young (matching the registered coordinates), and "Templemore," located about 25km east near the village of Murringo. The project involves the installation of covered anaerobic lagoons (CALs) to capture biogas generated from piggery manure, which is then combusted to generate renewable electricity.

The project operates under the "Destruction of Methane Generated from Manure in Piggeries" methodology. In standard intensive piggeries, manure is typically stored in open anaerobic ponds, where it releases significant amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, directly into the atmosphere. This methodology requires the proponent to cover these lagoons to trap the gas. The captured methane must then be destroyed, either by flaring or, as in this case, by feeding it into a generator to produce electricity and heat. This process converts the methane into less harmful carbon dioxide while displacing fossil-fuel-based energy.

The region surrounding Young is a productive agricultural hub known as the "Cherry Capital of Australia." The land use is diverse, featuring mixed farming operations including sheep grazing, cattle, broadacre cropping, and intensive horticulture. The environment is classified as temperate with a humid subtropical influence, receiving an average annual rainfall of approximately 600mm to 660mm. The soils in the area are characteristically deep "Red Earths" or Red Chromosols derived from the underlying granite and granodiorite rock, known for being well-drained and fertile for orchard and crop production.

Windridge Farms, the proponent, is a family-owned enterprise that has integrated this carbon project into a broader sustainability strategy. The company has publicly stated that the electricity generated from the captured methane (over 2.4 million kilowatts per annum) allows their operations to be carbon neutral. The project has successfully delivered on multiple carbon abatement contracts with the Australian Government, specifically completing contracts in 2015 and 2018.