Kestrel Mine Ventilation Air Cooling - Gas Generator Systems

Kestrel Mine Ventilation Air Cooling - Gas Generator Systems is a coal mine waste gas project located at the Kestrel Mine, approximately 50km northeast of Emerald in Queensland's Bowen Basin. Registered in December 2023, the project operates within the mining lease of Kestrel Coal, an area historically surrounded by cattle grazing and dryland cropping properties. The region is characterized by a sub-tropical, semi-arid climate with summer-dominant rainfall and fertile, cracking clay (vertosol) and basalt soils typical of the Central Highlands.

This project operates under the Coal Mine Waste Gas (CMWG) methodology. Its primary activity is "displacement electricity production," which involves capturing methane-rich gas drained from the underground coal seams, gas that would otherwise be vented or flared, and combusting it in gas generator engines to produce electricity. This process achieves carbon abatement in two ways: by converting potent methane into less harmful carbon dioxide, and by generating electricity that displaces power otherwise drawn from the grid (which is often fossil-fuel intensive).

The project appears to be part of Kestrel Coal's broader decarbonization strategy and follows the revocation of a previous similar project at the site (ERF126414) in late 2023. Recent corporate announcements link this initiative to a significant 30MW power station expansion supported by the Queensland Government's Low Emissions Investment Partnerships (LEIP) program. While the project title specifically mentions "Ventilation Air Cooling," this likely indicates that the electricity generated is utilized to power the mine's ventilation cooling infrastructure, a critical safety system for deep underground operations, rather than implying the cooling system itself generates the credits.