Rivalea Corowa Module 5 Piggery Biogas Project

Rivalea Corowa Module 5 Piggery Biogas Project is an animal effluent management project located near Corowa, approximately 55km west of Albury in New South Wales. It was registered in January 2013 and operates on an unknown area size within Rivalea's expansive pork production facility.

Animal effluent management projects involve capturing and destroying methane generated from animal waste that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. This specific project collects methane from piggery manure stored in covered anaerobic lagoons, which is then combusted in generators.

The Corowa area is a major agricultural hub in the Riverina region known for livestock farming, dryland cropping, and irrigated agriculture. The area experiences moderate rainfall, averaging around 541mm annually, and soils are generally fertile alluvial plains, Chromosols, and Dermosols.

This project captures methane from a massive 75-megalitre effluent pond, an area likened to 75 Olympic swimming pools. The captured biogas generates more than enough renewable electricity to power the farm's needs, while the leftover nutrient-rich digestate water is used to irrigate local feed crops. The proponent, Rivalea, was acquired by JBS Australia in 2022, securing JBS as the country's largest pork producer. After operating through several methodology variations, the project successfully completed its government contract (CAC102325) for carbon abatement in August 2022.