Smithton abattoir boiler fuel replacement

Smithton abattoir boiler fuel replacement is an industrial fuel switching project located at the Greenham Tasmania abattoir in Smithton, approximately 85km northwest of Burnie on the far north-west coast of Tasmania. It was registered in October 2015 and takes place entirely within the footprint of the existing processing facility.

Industrial and commercial emissions reduction projects involve changing or upgrading the mix of energy sources used by existing energy-consuming equipment to lower a facility's greenhouse gas emissions. Standard requirements include accurately measuring and modeling energy consumption baselines to prove a net reduction in fossil fuel usage.

The Smithton area in northwest Tasmania is highly regarded for its intensive agricultural land use, particularly forestry operations, dairy farming, and high-quality beef production, including the famous Cape Grim beef brand produced at this very abattoir. The region experiences a high-rainfall oceanic climate, averaging over 900mm of rain annually, and features deep, highly fertile basalt-derived soils that easily support dense pasture growth.

This project was set up to heavily reduce the facility's carbon footprint by upgrading its steam-generation capacity. It involved replacing the older boilers that previously ran on heavy carbon-intensive fuels like tallow and fuel oil with a new 11-megawatt boiler fueled by renewable biomass woodchips. This new system generates up to 150 tonnes of steam per day, which is essential for the abattoir's rendering and cleaning operations. Interestingly, the abattoir has even burned pyrethrum briquettes as an alternative renewable power source for the boiler. In July 2020, the Clean Energy Regulator formally required the project proponent, Northmore Gordon Pty Ltd, to relinquish 1,730 ACCUs. The project’s operational methodology was later updated in August 2022 to the current Industrial and Commercial Emissions Reduction standard.