Hardwick Meat Works Installation of Heat Pump to capture waste heat

Hardwick Meat Works Installation of Heat Pump to capture waste heat is an Industrial and Commercial Emissions Reduction project located in Kyneton, approximately 85km northwest of Melbourne in Victoria. It was registered in February 2023.

Industrial and Commercial Emissions Reduction projects involve reducing energy and fuel emissions by modifying, installing, or replacing existing emissions-producing equipment. Standard requirements for this methodology include establishing a historical energy consumption baseline and strictly metering the energy use and performance of the newly installed equipment to calculate the resulting carbon abatement.

The Kyneton area within the Macedon Ranges is well known for livestock grazing, agriculture, and meat processing operations. The region is considered a moderate to high rainfall environment, receiving approximately 750mm annually, and the soils are generally productive volcanic basalt and clay loams.

This project was set up to improve energy efficiency at the Hardwick Meat Works abattoir, operated by Kyneton Food Solutions Pty Ltd. As part of the upgrade, the facility installed a 1 MWth high-lift industrial heat pump to capture waste heat and deliver 75°C hot water for meat processing, effectively replacing 50% of the site's previous gas use. To support the heat pump's electricity needs and further reduce grid dependence, the project was paired with a 2.5 MW solar farm and a 2 MWh battery, a wider initiative that was projected to save the business over $500,000 annually.