Westpork Pinjarra Biogas Project

The Westpork Pinjarra Biogas Project is an animal effluent management project located at the Westpork Pinjarra piggery, approximately 3km northeast of the township of Pinjarra in the Peel region of Western Australia. Registered in January 2021, the project operates within the agricultural sector on the Pinjarra Plain, a flat, alluvial landscape traditionally used for cattle grazing, dairy, and intensive livestock operations.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Animal Effluent Management) Methodology Determination 2019. This methodology credits the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions achieved by capturing methane generated from decomposing animal manure. Standard requirements involve installing covered anaerobic lagoons or engineered digesters to trap biogas (methane) that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. The captured gas is then combusted, often to generate renewable electricity and heat for on-site use.

Environmentally, the Pinjarra region experiences a Mediterranean climate characterized by cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers, with average annual rainfall between 800mm and 900mm. The local soil composition is typical of the Pinjarra Plain system, consisting largely of grey deep sandy duplex soils and clays which can be prone to waterlogging in winter.

Westpork Pty Ltd is Western Australia’s largest pork producer, and this facility serves as a conventional breeder unit supplying progeny to other grow-out sites. In addition to the biogas system, Westpork has integrated other renewable energy solutions, such as solar power, to reduce reliance on the grid and improve the sustainability of its intensive farming operations.