Westpork Mindarra 3 Biogas Project

Westpork Mindarra 3 Biogas Project is an animal effluent management project located at Mindarra, approximately 30km west of the town of Gingin in Western Australia. Registered on August 1, 2023, the project operates within the Westpork Mindarra piggery complex, which consists of multiple production modules. The surrounding region of the Shire of Gingin is a hub for intensive agriculture, including piggeries, cattle grazing, and horticulture, supported by the area's groundwater resources.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Animal Effluent Management) Methodology Determination 2019. This methodology awards carbon credits to agricultural facilities that capture and destroy methane generated from decomposing animal manure. Standard practice for piggeries often involves treating effluent in open anaerobic lagoons, which release significant amounts of methane into the atmosphere. This project modifies that process by capturing the biogas, likely through covered anaerobic lagoons or engineered digesters, and combusting it. This combustion converts the potent methane into carbon dioxide (a much less potent greenhouse gas) and typically generates renewable electricity to power the farm's operations.

Environmentally, the Mindarra location sits on the Swan Coastal Plain, characterized by sandy soils (often Bassendean sands) which are highly permeable and low in nutrients. The climate is Mediterranean, featuring hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The area receives an average annual rainfall of approximately 460mm. Westpork, the proponent, is Western Australia's largest pork producer and has publicly committed to integrating biogas, solar, and wind energy to achieve high levels of renewable energy self-sufficiency across its operations.