Berrybank Farm - Methane to Energy Project

Berrybank Farm - Methane to Energy Project is a waste-to-energy emissions avoidance project located in the locality of Windermere, approximately 17km west of Ballarat in Victoria. Registered in March 2015, the project operates on a large-scale piggery situated on the Victorian Volcanic Plain. The region is characterized by mixed farming, including cropping and grazing, and is known for its fertile but heavy basalt and clay soils. The local climate is temperate, with warm, dry summers and cold, wet winters, averaging around 680mm of rainfall annually.

This project operates under the Destruction of Methane from Piggeries using Engineered Biodigesters methodology. Unlike standard manure management which might use open anaerobic lagoons that release methane (a potent greenhouse gas) into the atmosphere, this project captures effluent in engineered tanks (biodigesters). The captured biogas is then combusted to generate electricity and heat, converting the methane into carbon dioxide, which has a significantly lower global warming potential.

Berrybank Farm is widely recognized as a pioneer in Australian agricultural waste management. The proponent, Charles I.F.E. Proprietary Limited (standing for Charles Integrated Farming Enterprises), established this system to turn the facility into a "closed-loop" operation. The energy generated powers the farm and feeds excess electricity back into the grid, while the by-products are processed into fertilizer for crops. The project successfully completed its carbon abatement contract (CAC102330) with the Australian Government in December 2022, having delivered its committed volume of carbon credits.