Kestrel Absorption Chiller Project (Revoked)

Kestrel Absorption Chiller Project (Revoked) was an Industrial and Commercial Emissions Reduction project located at the Kestrel Coal Mine, approximately 50km northeast of Emerald in the Central Highlands of Queensland. It was registered in September 2022 by Helmont Carbon Abatement Pty Ltd and was later revoked in February 2024 under section 30 of the CFI Rule. The project area covers an unspecified footprint within the Kestrel mine lease.

Projects operating under the Industrial and Commercial Emissions Reduction methodology provide a framework for businesses to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by upgrading, replacing, or modifying existing equipment to reduce electricity consumption, fuel use, or industrial process emissions. This particular project aimed to reduce energy and process emissions through HVAC modifications, air handling and ventilation upgrades, and the use of catalysts during chemical manufacturing processes.

The Central Highlands region surrounding the project is widely known for its extensive coal mining operations in the Bowen Basin, alongside major agricultural activities such as cattle grazing, cotton, and grain cropping. The area experiences a subtropical, semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 540mm to 640mm, largely concentrated in the summer months. Local soil profiles typically feature fertile tertiary basalts, cracking clays (vertosols), and alluvial soils.

Interestingly, while this specific absorption chiller project has been revoked, the host facility, Kestrel Coal Mine, maintains a broader decarbonisation strategy focused on its largest emissions source: ventilation air methane (VAM) and coal mine waste gas. Because coal-related fugitive gases account for around 88% of the mine's carbon footprint, Kestrel is actively developing large-scale methane abatement initiatives, including a proposed Coal Mine Waste Gas Power Station and regenerative thermal oxidation technologies, to transition the site toward clean energy generation and drastically reduce future emissions.