North Goonyella Waste Coal Mine Gas Power Station (Revoked)

North Goonyella Waste Coal Mine Gas Power Station (Revoked) is an industrial fugitives coal mine waste gas project located at the North Goonyella Coal Mine, approximately 40 kilometres north of the major mining town of Moranbah in the Bowen Basin of Central Queensland. Registered in October 2016 by EDL CSM (Qld) Pty Ltd, the project did not have a traditional land-based area footprint, but rather consisted of a point-source installation on the mine site.

The Coal Mine Waste Gas methodology involves capturing the methane component of fugitive gas released during underground coal extraction. Normally, this potent greenhouse gas is vented into the atmosphere. Under this methodology, the gas is instead collected and combusted, converting the methane into much less harmful carbon dioxide. For this specific project, the captured gas was used to operate a displacement electricity production device, generating power for the mine and reducing reliance on the local grid.

The Bowen Basin region is heavily characterised by extensive metallurgical coal mining operations interspersed with large-scale beef cattle grazing. The environment experiences a semi-arid to sub-tropical climate typical of the Central Highlands, featuring summer-dominant rainfall and distinct wet and dry seasons. The soils in the area are predominantly Vertosols, or deep cracking clays, which are fertile but prone to swelling and shrinking with changes in moisture.

This project has a dramatic history that ultimately led to its revocation. In September 2018, the North Goonyella mine experienced a catastrophic underground fire triggered by spontaneous combustion in its coal seams. All personnel were swiftly evacuated, and the mine had to be sealed off to contain the uncontrolled blaze. Because the mine was rendered inactive and completely sealed, the project could no longer capture and combust the expected waste gas. Consequently, the project's carbon abatement contract lapsed and was terminated in January 2021. The Clean Energy Regulator officially revoked the project in October 2022 under section 30 of the CFI Rule. Following a massive redevelopment, the mine has recently been reopened and renamed the Centurion Mine, with new, separate carbon abatement and power generation initiatives now taking place.