Wollongong Coal Mine Waste Methane Project (Revoked)

Wollongong Coal Mine Waste Methane Project (Revoked) was an industrial fugitive emissions project located at the Wongawilli Colliery, approximately 15km southwest of Wollongong and directly west of the suburb of Dapto, NSW. Registered in October 2015, the project was situated on the Illawarra Escarpment, an area characterized by coal mining operations surrounded by catchment lands and conservation areas.

The project operated under the Coal Mine Waste Gas methodology, which awards carbon credits for the capture and combustion of methane, a potent greenhouse gas released during coal extraction. By installing flaring devices, the project intended to convert fugitive methane (CH4) into carbon dioxide (CO2), which has a significantly lower global warming potential.

The region experiences high rainfall due to orographic uplift along the escarpment and features soils derived from the Narrabeen Group and Hawkesbury Sandstone, typically consisting of sandy loams and clays. The project was revoked in September 2019 following the termination of its abatement contract. This revocation coincided with broader operational difficulties at the Wongawilli Colliery, which faced regulatory shutdowns and entered "care and maintenance" around the same period due to safety and financial issues.