MSM Milling Biomass Fuel Switch Project (Revoked)

MSM Milling Biomass Fuel Switch Project (Revoked) is a fuel switching and boiler upgrade project located at the MSM Milling facility in Manildra, approximately 44km west of Orange in the Central West region of New South Wales. Registered in October 2015, the project's exact geographic footprint is unlisted, as it involves a facility-specific industrial equipment upgrade rather than a broad land-based carbon project.

The project operates under the Industrial Electricity and Fuel Efficiency methodology. This methodology allows industrial facilities to earn carbon credits by changing the energy sources or mix of energy sources used by existing energy-consuming equipment, effectively reducing total emissions by substituting high-emission fossil fuels for lower-emission or renewable alternatives.

The surrounding Manildra region is a significant agricultural hub known predominantly for intensive cropping, specifically canola and wheat, alongside livestock grazing. The area experiences a temperate climate with moderate rainfall, and the environment features fertile clay loam and red-brown earth soils that support the region's highly productive farming sector.

This project was established to replace three existing LPG boilers with a single 5MW biomass-fuelled boiler utilizing locally sourced timber residue for fuel. Although a carbon abatement contract was completed in 2015, the ACCU project was ultimately revoked under section 33 of the CFI Act in December 2017. Interestingly, MSM Milling still achieved its sustainability goals outside the carbon crediting scheme; the company successfully commissioned the $5.38 million biomass boiler in 2019 with financial backing from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), ensuring the vast majority of its heat and steam requirements now come from renewables.