Central Coast CMWM Power Generation Project (Revoked)

The Central Coast CMWM Power Generation Project (Revoked) was an industrial energy project located in the heavy industry precinct of Doyalson on the New South Wales Central Coast. Situated approximately 90km north of Sydney and 40km south of Newcastle, the project site was positioned near major energy infrastructure, including the Vales Point Power Station and associated coal mining operations. The area is characterized by a mix of intensive industrial land use, power generation facilities, and surrounding coastal bushland.

Registered in April 2016, the project was designed under the Coal Mine Waste Gas (CMWG) methodology. This method credits the capture and combustion of fugitive methane emissions from underground coal mines, gas that would otherwise be vented into the atmosphere. Specifically, this project aimed to install and operate electricity production devices to convert the methane component of the waste gas into carbon dioxide and energy. By displacing grid electricity with this captured gas generation, the project intended to claim Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).

The region experiences a warm temperate climate with high rainfall, typically averaging over 1100mm annually, and features coastal podzolic soils. However, as an industrial fugitive emissions project, the activity was reliant on mining infrastructure rather than the biophysical landscape. The project was voluntarily revoked in September 2019 under Section 30 of the CFI Rule, and its carbon abatement contract was subsequently terminated. This type of revocation often occurs when a project is deemed financially unviable, or when the gas composition or volume from the mine does not meet the requirements for efficient electricity generation.