Stanhope Bioenergy Project 223 Hill Road Stanhope

Stanhope Bioenergy Project 223 Hill Road Stanhope is an animal effluent management project located just south of the township of Stanhope, approximately 40km west of Shepparton in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley. Registered on November 22, 2024, the project is situated at 223 Hill Road, which is co-located with the Waranga Green Energy Piggery. The facility, known commercially as the "VIC1 Stanhope Bioenergy Plant," is a strategic development by Delorean Corporation designed to process agricultural residues and animal waste.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Animal Effluent Management) Methodology Determination 2019. This methodology credits emissions reductions achieved by capturing and destroying methane generated from animal manure, typically in piggeries or dairies, that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere from anaerobic ponds. The Stanhope facility utilizes an anaerobic digestion (AD) system to treat approximately 54,000 tonnes per annum of feedstock, including piggery effluent and waste from local food processors. The captured biogas is combusted to generate roughly 1.2MW of baseload renewable electricity for the grid, with future plans to upgrade to biomethane (renewable natural gas).

The surrounding Goulburn Valley region is a hub for intensive irrigated agriculture, particularly dairy farming and fruit cropping. The area is characterized by a semi-arid to temperate climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 450mm. The local landscape features the flat terrain of the Riverine Plain, where soils are typically fertile loams and clay loams, often requiring irrigation to support high-yield farming.