Maryvale Energy From Waste Project

The Maryvale Energy From Waste Project is an Alternative Waste Treatment (AWT) project located at the existing Maryvale Paper Mill, approximately 160km east of Melbourne and just north of the town of Morwell in Victoria's Latrobe Valley. Registered in March 2025, just prior to the expiry of the methodology to new entrants, the project represents a significant industrial collaboration between Opal Australian Paper, Veolia, and Masdar Tribe. While the specific project area covers the facility's industrial footprint rather than broad acreage, it is situated within a region historically defined by heavy industry, forestry plantations, and dairy farming.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Alternative Waste Treatment) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology credits the avoidance of methane emissions that would otherwise be generated if the waste were sent to a landfill. By diverting mixed solid waste (MSW) and commercial and industrial (C&I) waste to a purpose-built facility, the organic content is processed, in this case, via controlled combustion, to generate energy rather than decomposing anaerobically in the ground.

Environmentally, the Latrobe Valley region is characterized by a temperate climate with reliable rainfall, typically averaging between 700mm and 900mm annually. The local soils are predominantly clay loams and acidic texture-contrast soils (Sodosols and Dermosols), which support the extensive forestry operations supplying the mill. The Maryvale facility itself is designed to process initially 325,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste per year, generating steam and electricity to power the paper mill, thereby reducing the site's reliance on natural gas and grid electricity.