Wonga/Templemore Methane Digestion Ponds

Wonga/Templemore Methane Digestion Ponds is an animal effluent management project located at the Wonga and Templemore piggeries near Murringo, approximately 20 to 30km east of Young in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales. It was registered in January 2014, and while the exact project area size is unspecified, the project activities are constrained to the footprint of the effluent lagoons at these intensive livestock facilities.

The project operates under the Destruction of Methane Generated from Manure in Piggeries methodology. This type of project involves mitigating greenhouse gas emissions by trapping biogas emitted from the anaerobic decomposition of piggery effluent. Standard requirements for this methodology involve installing specialized impermeable covers over anaerobic lagoons to capture the methane, which is then safely combusted via a flare or an electricity generator, converting the potent methane gas into carbon dioxide and water.

The Murringo and Young area is well-regarded for its diverse agricultural land use, ranging from intensive livestock and cropping to horticulture and grazing. The region typically experiences a temperate climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 600mm to 700mm. The soils in this locality are generally red-brown earths and granitic sandy loams, which provide a strong foundation for the region's productive agricultural operations.

An interesting note about this project is that it is operated by Windridge Farms Pty Ltd, a prominent family-owned mixed farming enterprise. The proponent has successfully engaged in the carbon market, fully completing two separate carbon abatement contracts, one originally contracted in April 2015 and the other in December 2018. Additionally, the Wonga piggery facility tragically made headlines in June 2015 when a devastating shed fire, reportedly caused by an electrical fault, claimed the lives of approximately 2,500 pigs.