Qenos Botany Boiler Conversion Project

The Qenos Botany Boiler Conversion Project is an industrial emissions reduction project located within the Botany Industrial Park (BIP) in Banksmeadow, approximately 11km south of the Sydney CBD in New South Wales. Registered in August 2022, the project operates under the Industrial and Commercial Emissions Reduction (ICER) methodology. It specifically targets improvements in energy efficiency and process emissions by modifying or replacing industrial boilers, with a primary focus on fuel switching activities to lower the carbon intensity of steam and power generation at the facility.

The Industrial and Commercial Emissions Reduction (ICER) 2021 methodology credits projects that reduce emissions from industrial processes or energy consumption. This is typically achieved by upgrading equipment (like boilers, motors, or compressed air systems) or switching to lower-emission fuel sources (e.g., gas to hydrogen, or coal to gas). Projects must establish a baseline of historical emissions and demonstrate that the upgrades result in measurable abatement.

The project is situated in a heavy industrial zone known as the Botany Industrial Park, a hub for petrochemical and chemical manufacturing. The region experiences a humid subtropical climate with high rainfall (averaging over 1000mm annually). The local geology is characterised by the "Botany Sands", deep, highly permeable aeolian sand beds that act as a significant aquifer, although the soil in this specific industrial precinct has been historically modified and subject to contamination management due to decades of chemical manufacturing.

A notable context for this project is the financial instability of the proponent, Qenos Pty Ltd. Once Australia's sole manufacturer of polyethylene, Qenos entered voluntary administration in April 2024 following a liquidity crisis and the prolonged shutdown of its Botany plant due to a cooling tower failure in early 2023. Historically, Qenos operated the "Site Utilities" plants which supplied steam and electricity not only to its own operations but also to other companies within the park (such as Orica and Huntsman). This boiler conversion project, registered just prior to the major shutdowns, likely aimed to modernise these shared utility assets.