HDS2 Cold Feed/Stripper Bottoms Exchanger Upgrade at Geelong Refinery (Revoked)

HDS2 Cold Feed/Stripper Bottoms Exchanger Upgrade at Geelong Refinery (Revoked) was an industrial energy efficiency project located at the Viva Energy Refinery in Corio, approximately 7km north of the Geelong CBD in Victoria. Registered in January 2016, the project operated for four years before being voluntarily revoked in May 2020. As an industrial retrofit within a major heavy-industry zone, the project area does not have a traditional land size (hectares) associated with land-sector projects, but rather sits within the 250-hectare refinery complex on the shores of Corio Bay.

The project utilized the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Industrial Electricity and Fuel Efficiency) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology provides a framework for crediting abatement generated by improving the energy efficiency of existing industrial equipment. Participants calculate the baseline energy usage of equipment (such as boilers, furnaces, or heat exchangers) and earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) for the reduction in emissions achieved through upgrades. In this specific case, the activity involved upgrading heat exchangers in the Hydrodesulfurization (HDS2) unit, likely improving heat recovery from hot "stripper bottoms" fluids to pre-heat the "cold feed," thereby reducing the fuel gas required to bring the feed up to reaction temperature.

The Geelong region features a temperate climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 520mm. While the surrounding region consists of basalt plains with clay and loam soils often used for grazing and cropping, the project site itself is situated on heavily modified industrial land adjacent to the port. The project was revoked in mid-2020, a period coinciding with significant operational uncertainty for Australian refineries due to the COVID-19 pandemic and plummeting fuel demand. The Geelong Refinery remains one of only two crude oil refineries operating in Australia and has since committed to various other emission reduction strategies, including New Energy Hub initiatives.