Central Coast Coal Mine Waste Methane Project (Revoked)

The Central Coast Coal Mine Waste Methane Project (Revoked) was an industrial fugitive emissions project located in the port precinct of Newcastle, New South Wales. Registered in October 2015, the project was situated approximately 3km northwest of the Newcastle CBD, within the heavy industrial zone near the Hunter River estuary. The area is dominated by coal export infrastructure, including the Carrington and Kooragang coal terminals, which serve the broader Hunter Valley and Central Coast mining regions.

This project operated under the Coal Mine Waste Gas methodology, which focuses on capturing methane that would otherwise be vented into the atmosphere from coal seams during mining operations. The specific project activity involved the installation and operation of new flaring devices designed to combust the methane component of the waste gas, converting it into carbon dioxide, which has a significantly lower global warming potential.

The Newcastle and Central Coast region is characterized by a humid subtropical climate with relatively high rainfall. The soil in the immediate project vicinity, largely reclaimed industrial land near the river, consists primarily of estuarine sediment, sand, and fill, differing from the natural sandy loams found in the surrounding residential areas.

Despite securing a carbon abatement contract (CAC546046) in November 2016 for 187,000 tonnes of abatement, the project failed to deliver any carbon credits. The contract was terminated in May 2019, and the project was subsequently revoked in September 2019 under section 30 of the CFI Rule, indicating a voluntary revocation request by the proponent, Our Energy Group Pty Limited. This was one of several projects by the same proponent that were cancelled without generating abatement.