Smithton abattoir boiler fuel replacement

Smithton abattoir boiler fuel replacement is an industrial energy efficiency project located at the Greenham Tasmania abattoir in Smithton, on the far north-west coast of Tasmania. Registered in October 2015, the project was developed by Northmore Gordon Pty Ltd to reduce the facility's carbon footprint. The primary activity involved switching the site's main steam boiler fuel source from coal to renewable biomass, specifically pyrethrum briquettes, a byproduct from local pyrethrum daisy production.

The Smithton region is characterized by a cool temperate climate with significant rainfall, averaging around 900mm annually, particularly concentrated in winter. The landscape sits on reclaimed marshland (historically the Mowbray Swamp) and features fertile soils, including deep red Ferrosols, which support the region's intensive dairy farming, beef cattle grazing, and cropping industries. The abattoir itself is a key piece of local infrastructure, processing beef from the surrounding high-rainfall pasturelands.

This project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Industrial and Commercial Emissions Reduction) Methodology Determination 2021, having transitioned from the earlier 2015 Industrial Electricity and Fuel Efficiency method. This methodology credits the difference in greenhouse gas emissions between the "baseline" scenario (continuing to burn coal) and the "project" scenario (burning lower-emission biomass).

An interesting feature of this project is its circular economy approach; the pyrethrum briquettes used to fire the boiler were sourced from local farmers who also supply cattle to the abattoir, creating a closed-loop system where agricultural waste powers the processing of agricultural products. While the project successfully generated ACCUs, a relinquishment notice in 2020 required the return of 1,730 credits. In later years (circa 2020), proposals were submitted to replace the aging pyrethrum/coal boiler with a new wood-chip fired system to further modernize the plant's energy infrastructure.