Shoalhaven Starches Gas Turbine Co-Generation Project

Shoalhaven Starches Gas Turbine Co-Generation Project is an Industrial and Commercial Emissions Reduction project located at Bomaderry, directly adjacent to Nowra in the Shoalhaven region of New South Wales. It was registered in June 2021. While the exact project area is undefined, the activities take place within the large industrial footprint of the Shoalhaven Starches plant, which is surrounded by coastal urban zones, dairy farming, and grazing lands.

Industrial and Commercial Emissions Reduction projects involve replacing, modifying, or augmenting energy-consuming equipment to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. The standard requirements for this methodology involve installing energy-efficient equipment, changing the mix of energy sources, or generating electricity on-site to substitute electricity previously drawn from the grid. Project activities here specifically include fuel switching and the installation of co-generation gas turbines.

The Nowra-Bomaderry area features a temperate, high-rainfall coastal climate. Sitting on the banks of the Shoalhaven River, the surrounding environment is characterized by fertile alluvial and clay soils.

This major manufacturing upgrade is operated by Shoalhaven Starches Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the Manildra Group, which runs the world's largest wheat gluten and starch plant of its kind. The $250 million co-generation transition was supported by an $85 million loan from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC). By replacing older coal-fired boilers with state-of-the-art GE Vernova natural gas turbines, the facility aims to cut its CO2 emissions by up to 40% (approximately 300,000 tonnes annually). The new setup captures waste heat to produce essential steam for the factory while generating enough power to meet over 90% of the site's electricity needs.