Central Coast Coal Mine Waste Methane Project (Revoked)

The Central Coast Coal Mine Waste Methane Project (Revoked) was a Coal Mine Waste Gas (CMWG) project registered in October 2015. While the project's coordinates point to the suburb of Cooks Hill in Newcastle, NSW, approximately 160km north of Sydney, this location likely represents the administrative office of the proponent, Our Energy Group Pty Limited, rather than the operational mine site. The project targeted coal mining operations in the surrounding Hunter or Central Coast region, an area historically dominated by industrial mining and forestry land use.

The project operated under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Coal Mine Waste Gas) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology credits the destruction of methane (CH4) from underground coal mines that would otherwise be vented into the atmosphere. The specific activity for this project involved installing new flaring devices to capture and combust the methane component of the waste gas. By converting methane into carbon dioxide through flaring, the project aimed to reduce the overall Global Warming Potential (GWP) of the emissions, as methane is significantly more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

The surrounding Hunter and Central Coast region is characterized by a warm temperate climate with high rainfall, particularly near the coast. The local environment features complex soil systems, including yellow podzolic soils on slopes and potential acid sulfate soils in low-lying delta areas, often overlaying the Permian sedimentary coal measures that drive the local mining industry.

This project was revoked in September 2019 under section 30 of the CFI Rule, following the termination or lapsing of its Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC546046) which had been secured in November 2016. The proponent, Our Energy Group Pty Limited, had registered multiple similar projects (including "Central Coast No. 2") around the same period, which also appear to have been revoked, suggesting a portfolio-wide withdrawal or failure to proceed with the planned abatement infrastructure.