Smithton abattoir boiler fuel replacement

Smithton abattoir boiler fuel replacement is an energy efficiency (fuel switching) project located in Smithton, approximately 85km west of Burnie in north-west Tasmania. It was registered in October 2015. The exact project area size is unknown. The surrounding Circular Head region is heavily utilised for intensive agriculture, particularly dairy farming, beef cattle, and forestry. The region experiences a high rainfall climate, averaging around 1,100 mm annually. Soils at the project site are predominantly Quaternary coastal sand deposits and medium-plasticity clays overlying Cambrian volcanic bedrock.

The project operates under the Industrial and Commercial Emissions Reduction methodology, having transitioned from the older Industrial Electricity and Fuel Efficiency determination in August 2022. This methodology involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions by upgrading existing energy-consuming equipment or switching its energy source. Standard requirements dictate that proponents must establish a clear baseline of historical energy consumption and accurately monitor the new equipment's fuel use and output to calculate the net carbon abatement. Specifically, this project undertook a fuel switching activity to replace the abattoir's boiler fuel source.

The abattoir is owned by Greenham Tasmania, a processor famous for its premium "Cape Grim Beef" which is sourced from local grass-fed cattle benefiting from the region's famously pure air. In July 2020, the Clean Energy Regulator issued a section 88 notice under the CFI Act, requiring the proponent, Northmore Gordon Pty Ltd, to relinquish 1,730 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) in relation to the project. Furthermore, environmental assessments indicate the abattoir transitioned towards using a woodchip-fired boiler system capable of burning up to 4 tonnes of combustible material per hour to handle the facility's operations.