Berrybank Farm - Methane to Energy Project

Berrybank Farm - Methane to Energy Project is a piggery methane destruction project located at Windermere, approximately 15 kilometres west of Ballarat in Victoria. It was registered in March 2015 and operates across a sprawling 2,500-acre agricultural property.

Piggery methane destruction projects that fall under the engineered biodigesters methodology involve capturing methane-rich biogas generated by the anaerobic decomposition of piggery manure. This captured biogas is then flared or combusted to generate heat and electricity, preventing the highly potent greenhouse gas from venting into the atmosphere. A standard requirement of this methodology dictates that the biogas must be processed through fully enclosed engineered biodigesters rather than standard open anaerobic lagoons.

The Windermere and broader Western Plains region is heavily utilised for broadacre cropping and livestock grazing. Berrybank Farm specifically runs a 20,000-head piggery and crops wheat and canola on the property to feed its livestock. The local environment experiences moderate to high rainfall, averaging around 638mm annually, and features heavy grey and brown volcanic clay soils (Vertosols and Sodosols) typical of the Victorian Western Plains.

Project activities involve capturing and combusting the biogas generated by the piggery manure using a state-of-the-art combined heat and power (CHP) unit. By installing these engineered biodigesters instead of standard lagoons, the project systematically recovers waste products in a controlled environment, reducing odours and mitigating groundwater contamination.

Interestingly, this farm operates on a highly successful "waste nothing" philosophy. The biodigester produces around 192 kW of electricity to power the farm and 214 kW of thermal energy used to heat the pig sheds and digester tanks during the colder months. This cogeneration system saves the farm approximately $180,000 per year in electricity costs and heavily reduces the property's reliance on bore water. The project was contracted under the ACCU scheme in January 2016 and successfully fulfilled its fixed delivery contract (CAC102330) for 35,000 carbon credits, which formally concluded in December 2022. Additionally, the project underwent a method variation in September 2017 to Compilation No. 1.