Bartter Enterprises Beresfield Processing Plant Biogas Cogeneration System (Revoked)

Bartter Enterprises Beresfield Processing Plant Biogas Cogeneration System (Revoked) was an industrial wastewater treatment project located in the suburb of Beresfield, approximately 25km northwest of Newcastle in New South Wales. Registered in September 2015, the project was designed to operate within the Beresfield industrial estate, a hub for manufacturing and logistics in the Lower Hunter region.

The project operated under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Domestic, Commercial and Industrial Wastewater) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology credits emissions reductions achieved by capturing methane generated from wastewater treatment, gas that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere from open anaerobic lagoons. Specifically, this project involved replacing deep open lagoons with anaerobic digesters to capture biogas, which was then combusted in an internal combustion engine to generate energy (cogeneration).

Geographically, the site sits within the Hunter Valley, a region characterized by a warm temperate climate and relatively high rainfall, averaging over 1000mm annually in coastal pockets. The local terrain consists of floodplain environments with soils typically comprised of alluvial clays and silts, common to the Hunter River catchment. While the broader region is famous for viticulture and coal mining, the immediate land use at the project coordinates is heavy industrial, hosting the large-scale poultry processing facilities associated with the proponent.

The project was voluntarily revoked on January 12, 2018, under Section 33 of the CFI Act. Public records indicate that zero Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) were issued prior to revocation. The proponent, Bartter Enterprises, is a major poultry producer known for the Steggles brand and was acquired by Baiada Poultry in 2009. The revocation suggests that while the biogas infrastructure may have been installed for operational efficiency or energy savings, the specific carbon project component was discontinued, possibly due to administrative complexities or a strategic shift following the corporate acquisition.