Harvey Beef Covered Anaerobic Lagoon Project

The Harvey Beef Covered Anaerobic Lagoon Project is an industrial wastewater treatment project located at the Harvey Beef processing facility, approximately 4km southwest of the town of Harvey in the South West region of Western Australia. Registered in October 2019, the project operates within the Shire of Harvey, an area historically defined by dairy and beef cattle grazing, citrus orchards, and viticulture.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Domestic, Commercial and Industrial Wastewater) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology credits the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions achieved by capturing methane generated during the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter in wastewater. Standard requirements for such projects involve replacing open, uncovered anaerobic lagoons, which release methane directly into the atmosphere, with closed systems like Covered Anaerobic Lagoons (CALs) or engineered digesters. The captured biogas must then be combusted, either via flaring or for energy generation, to convert the potent methane into less harmful carbon dioxide.

Environmentally, the Harvey region experiences a Mediterranean climate characterized by cool, wet winters and dry, warm summers. The facility sits on the Pinjarra Plain, a geomorphic element consisting largely of alluvial soils, including clays and loams, which differ from the sandy coastal dunes to the west and the gravelly lateritic soils of the Darling Scarp to the east. The area typically receives reliable winter rainfall, averaging between 700mm and 900mm annually, supporting the region's intensive agricultural output.

The specific activities of this project involve the installation and operation of a 24-megalitre Covered Anaerobic Lagoon (CAL). This system captures biogas released from the facility's wastewater, which is then piped to a boiler on-site to generate heat, displacing a significant portion of the plant's natural gas consumption. In March 2025, the project underwent a methodology variation, moving to Compilation No. 3 of the 2015 determination. Harvey Beef, the proponent, is Western Australia’s largest beef processor, and this initiative forms a key part of their broader sustainability strategy to reduce carbon intensity across their supply chain.