Kenilworth Regrowth Project

Kenilworth Regrowth Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located on Kenilworth Station near the outback town of Byrock in NSW, approximately 80km southeast of Bourke. It was registered in August 2015 and covers 71,545.55 ha.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve establishing permanent native forests on land where regrowth was previously suppressed for at least 10 years. This methodology requires proponents to change land management practices to allow native vegetation to regenerate and reach a forest cover of at least 2 metres in height and 20% crown cover. For this project, regeneration from in-situ seed sources is achieved by ceasing suppressing activities, specifically through the exclusion of livestock and the humane management of feral animals.

The Byrock and greater Bourke area is historically known for sheep and cattle grazing operations, although carbon farming has become a highly prominent alternative land use in recent years. The region features a semi-arid climate with low and highly variable rainfall. The soils are predominantly red earths and sandy loams that naturally support hardy vegetation like mulga woodlands.

The project possesses a highly notable and somewhat controversial history within the Australian carbon market. Initially purchased by Beautiful Gold International for approximately $1.6 million in 2013, the property was registered as an emissions reduction project two years later. In December 2017, the Clean Energy Regulator required the relinquishment of 10,373 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) under section 88 of the CFI Act. The proponent role was officially transferred to the Shell-owned Select Carbon Pty Ltd in January 2020. The Kenilworth Regrowth Project received international media attention in early 2023 when a Washington Post investigation highlighted community tensions over soaring land prices and heavily scrutinized the continued issuance of ACCUs despite the property's tree cover plummeting during the severe 2017–2019 outback drought. Credits generated by this project have been purchased and retired by several major entities looking to offset their emissions, including The Churchill Trust, AFS & Associates, and Chevron for its Gorgon project.