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 the anaerobic decomposition of animal waste that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. Standard requirements typically involve collecting the effluent in covered anaerobic lagoons or engineered biodigesters and combusting the resulting biogas via flares or generators. This process destroys the methane, converting it into carbon dioxide, which has a significantly lower global warming potential.

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

This project collects and combusts methane generated from piggery manure stored in a massive 75-megalitre covered anaerobic lagoon, 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 original proponent, Rivalea, was acquired by JBS Australia in 2022, making JBS the country's largest pork producer. After transitioning through several method variations since 2012, the project successfully completed its government contract (CAC102325) for carbon abatement in August 2022. JBS Pork Australia is utilising projects like this to push towards a 100% energy-neutral target, reducing site power costs by 50% and actively slashing emissions.