Rivalea Module 3&4 Biogas Project

Rivalea Module 3&4 Biogas Project is an animal effluent management project located at a major piggery facility approximately 6km northwest of Corowa in the Riverina region of New South Wales. Registered in November 2017, the project is operated by JBS Pork Australia Pty Ltd (formerly Rivalea Australia), the nation's largest pork processor. The facility sits within a significant agricultural zone known for mixed cropping and grazing, situated near the Murray River border with Victoria.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Animal Effluent Management) Methodology Determination 2019. It functions by capturing methane emissions from pig manure treated in covered anaerobic lagoons. Instead of releasing this potent greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, the biogas is collected and combusted. This process not only destroys the methane but is also used to generate renewable electricity and heat for the facility's operations. The system transitioned to the current methodology in December 2020, having originally operated under an earlier determination for piggery methane destruction.

The Corowa region typically experiences a semi-arid to temperate climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 540mm, which is relatively evenly distributed throughout the year but often winter-dominant. The surrounding landscape consists largely of flat to gently undulating plains featuring Red Chromosols (red-brown earths) and Dermosols, soil types characteristic of the New South Wales wheat-sheep belt.

Notably, the Corowa piggery is considered one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. The specific "Module 3&4" expansion reportedly involves covering ponds associated with around 75,000 pigs and utilizing three 500 kVA generators. This bioenergy infrastructure allows the site to self-generate a significant portion (approximately 25%) of its electricity requirements, enhancing the sustainability of its intensive animal production.