Rivalea Module 3&4 Biogas Project

Rivalea Module 3&4 Biogas Project is an animal effluent management project located at a large-scale piggery facility approximately 15km 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, following JBS's acquisition of Rivalea in early 2022. The project specifically targets the methane generated by the manure management systems of Modules 3 and 4 at the Corowa complex.

The project operates under the Animal Effluent Management methodology, having transitioned from an earlier piggery-specific method in 2020. This type of project involves installing infrastructure to capture methane, a potent greenhouse gas, released during the anaerobic decomposition of animal manure in treatment lagoons. The captured biogas is then combusted, often in Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units, to generate renewable electricity and heat for the facility, converting the methane into less harmful carbon dioxide.

The Riverina region surrounding Corowa is a major agricultural hub known for mixed farming, including winter cropping (wheat, canola) and livestock grazing. The area typically experiences a temperate climate with winter-dominant rainfall averaging around 500mm to 600mm annually. The local soils are predominantly Red Chromosols (red-brown earths) and Dermosols, which are characteristic of the region's productive plains.

An interesting feature of the wider Rivalea Corowa facility is its high level of energy self-sufficiency. The site utilises biogas technology across multiple modules (including a separate project for Module 5) to generate approximately 85% of its farming and processing operations' peak power requirements. The specific infrastructure for Modules 3 and 4 includes a 75ML covered anaerobic lagoon that feeds into the site's biogas generation system.