Kalfresh Stage One Bioenergy project

Kalfresh Stage One Bioenergy project is a waste diversion project located at Kalbar, approximately 80km south-west of Brisbane in the Scenic Rim region of Queensland. It was registered in March 2026 and covers an unspecified project area.

The Source Separated Organic Waste methodology involves diverting eligible organic waste, which has been separated at the point of generation, away from landfills. Under standard requirements, this organic waste must be transferred to an eligible facility for treatment using technologies such as anaerobic digestion or composting. By preventing the organic material from decomposing in a landfill, the project directly avoids the release of harmful greenhouse gases such as methane.

The Kalbar area, situated in the Fassifern Valley, is a highly productive agricultural region known for intensive vegetable farming, grain crops, and livestock operations. The local climate is subtropical and variable, experiencing periods of both high rainfall and severe drought. The surrounding environment features undulating open farmland, with soils largely comprising fertile alluvial flats near local waterways like Warrill Creek, alongside rich agricultural loams.

The project's activities revolve around a new waste diversion stream where organic agricultural and food waste is treated via anaerobic digestion. The generated biogas is then transferred to a combustion device for destruction or the manufacture of process engineered fuel. Interestingly, this bioenergy facility serves as the centrepiece of the new $291 million Scenic Rim Agricultural Industrial Precinct and recently secured an $80 million climate investment backed by Wollemi Capital and the Queensland Investment Corporation. Operating as a circular, closed-loop system, the facility will process crop residues to produce renewable natural gas capable of powering up to 31,000 homes, while returning the digestate by-product to local farms as a sustainable biofertiliser.