Rivalea Module 3&4 Biogas Project

Rivalea Module 3&4 Biogas Project is an Animal Effluent Management project located at Corowa, in the Riverina region of New South Wales, approximately 55 km west of Albury. It was registered in November 2017. While the specific footprint of the carbon project is not publicly documented, it operates out of the massive Rivalea facility which houses over 25,000 pigs.

Animal Effluent Management projects reduce greenhouse gas emissions by treating agricultural waste that would typically be disposed of in open anaerobic ponds. Standard requirements involve capturing the biogas (methane) generated by eligible piggery or dairy effluent in covered ponds or engineered digesters, and combusting it via flaring or electricity generation so it does not vent into the atmosphere.

The wider Corowa and Riverina area is renowned for its extensive agricultural land use, featuring sheep and cattle grazing, winter cropping such as wheat and canola, vineyards, and intensive livestock operations. The regional climate experiences moderate, winter-dominant rainfall averaging approximately 560 mm annually. The environment is defined by highly productive Red Chromosols, which consist of sandy loam to loam topsoils over clay subsoils.

This specific project collects and combusts methane generated from piggery manure in covered lagoons. In December 2020, the facility transitioned its project method from an older 2013 determination to the current 2019 Animal Effluent Management methodology. The proponent, JBS Pork Australia Pty Ltd, acquired Rivalea for $175 million in 2021, establishing JBS as the largest pork processor in Australia. The captured biogas powers on-site cogeneration systems, effectively turning waste into renewable energy and offsetting the facility's reliance on natural gas. To further de-risk and modernize operations, JBS is currently progressing a $400 million expansion program in the region that includes closed-herd satellite sites to improve biosecurity.