Yornup Carbon Project

The Yornup Carbon Project is a plantation forestry project located in the locality of Yornup, approximately 15 kilometers south of Bridgetown and 20 kilometers north of Manjimup in the South West region of Western Australia. Registered in March 2023, the project covers approximately 364 hectares. The surrounding region is traditionally known as the timber heart of Western Australia, with land use heavily focused on forestry, cattle grazing, and fruit orchards due to its fertile grounds.

This project operates under the 2022 Plantation Forestry methodology, specifically focusing on the establishment of a new plantation forest (Schedule 1). This activity requires that the land has not supported a plantation or native forest for at least seven years prior to the project's commencement. Under this method, carbon credits (ACCUs) are generated by calculating the carbon stored in the growing trees and the long-term storage in harvested wood products, accounting for emissions from management events like harvesting.

The Yornup area is characterized by a high rainfall Mediterranean climate, typically receiving between 700mm and 900mm of rain annually, which is ideal for timber production. The soils in this region are predominantly gravelly loams and fertile red earths (often associated with Karri and Jarrah forests), which provide excellent drainage and root support for commercial eucalypt plantations.

A significant aspect of this project is its proponent, Simcoa Operations Pty Ltd, Australia's only silicon manufacturer. Simcoa requires high-quality charcoal as a reducing agent in its silicon smelting process. This project appears to be part of Simcoa's vertical integration strategy to secure a sustainable, low-emission supply of timber for charcoal production, reducing their reliance on coal and native forest logs. This aligns with recent federal funding Simcoa received to expand its charcoal capacity and decarbonise its silicon production.