Optimise alumina processing temperature at Yarwun refinery (Revoked)

Optimise alumina processing temperature at Yarwun refinery (Revoked) is an industrial electricity and fuel efficiency project located at the Yarwun refinery, approximately 10km north-west of Gladstone in Queensland. It was registered in September 2018 and covers an unknown footprint within the refinery's operational facility. The Gladstone and Yarwun region is widely known as a major industrial, manufacturing, and port hub, while the surrounding coastal plains and undulating terrain feature land uses ranging from state forestry to grazing. The regional climate is sub-humid and subtropical, typically experiencing moderate to high summer-dominant rainfall. The local soils largely consist of gradational loams, texture contrast soils, and sodic subsoils.

Industrial electricity and fuel efficiency projects under the Carbon Farming Initiative involve changing or upgrading the way existing energy-consuming equipment is controlled or operated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fuel or electricity use. This specific project aimed to reduce process heat energy consumption by optimizing the operating temperature required for alumina processing.

An interesting note about the site is that the Yarwun refinery uses the four-stage Bayer process to refine bauxite mined from Weipa on the Cape York Peninsula. The refinery also incorporates a 160-megawatt cogeneration facility to reduce its environmental impact and feed surplus low-emission electricity back into the Queensland grid. On December 16, 2022, this carbon project was voluntarily revoked under section 29 of the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) Rule. Recent announcements by the proponent, Rio Tinto, indicate that they plan to cut production at the Yarwun refinery by 40% starting in October 2026 to extend the life of its tailings management facilities through to 2035.