Goulburn Bioenergy Project

The Goulburn Bioenergy Project is an industrial wastewater treatment and energy generation initiative located at the Southern Meats abattoir facility, approximately 5km northeast of the Goulburn CBD in New South Wales. Registered in October 2015, the project operates within the Goulburn Mulwaree region, an area heavily defined by sheep grazing and agricultural processing. The facility sits on Mazemet Road, where the surrounding landscape is characterized by undulating hills and industrial-agricultural land use.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Domestic, Commercial and Industrial Wastewater) Methodology. This method incentivizes the installation of engineering solutions, specifically covered anaerobic lagoons (CALs) or digesters, to capture methane generated during the decomposition of organic matter in wastewater. Without such interventions, this methane would naturally off-gas from open ponds into the atmosphere. The Goulburn Bioenergy Project captures this biogas and combusts it via internal combustion engines to generate renewable electricity and heat for the abattoir, turning a waste product into an energy resource.

Environmentally, the Goulburn region experiences a temperate climate with a mean annual rainfall of approximately 600mm to 700mm. The soil profile in the immediate vicinity of the abattoir and the Mulwaree Ponds catchment typically consists of texture-contrast soils, such as Blakney Creek soloth (acid to neutral yellow duplex soils) and Midgee yellow earths, which are common in the valley floors and footslopes of the Southern Tablelands.

A notable aspect of this project was its development history involving Quantum Power (later ReNu Energy). The facility received significant support, including a $2.1 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). The system features a Covered Anaerobic Lagoon (CAL) and two 800 kW dual-fuel Caterpillar generators capable of blending biogas with natural gas to ensure consistent power supply during peak demand. While the project's carbon abatement contract was terminated in September 2024, the infrastructure represented a significant step in the Australian red meat industry's transition toward renewable energy self-sufficiency.