Crediting period

For non-biomethane projects under the wastewater method, the crediting period is seven years. The crediting period is the period of time a project can apply to claim Australian carbon credit units (ACCUs).

Projects that produce biomethane have a crediting period of 12 years, less any time the project has previously earned ACCUs for methane destruction.

Further details on crediting periods for biomethane projects, including restarting biomethane projects, can be found in the documentasset:biomethane method package simple method guide.

Relevant section of the Act:

• Part 5

Eligibility requirements

There are general eligibility requirements in the Act, which include:

• newness
• additionality and funding from other government programs, and
• legal right

In addition, the Method requires an open wastewater treatment lagoon to be replaced with an anaerobic digester that must transfer captured methane to a combustion device that uses the methane as fuel. An anaerobic digester must include a biogas collection system and the equipment required to transfer the biogas to the combustion device. Projects that involve the production of biomethane must install new biogas upgrading systems.

Eligible open lagoons must:

• be more than two metres deep
• have treated wastewater prior to 24 April 2014 and were in existence before 24 April 2014, and
• have been used to treat any combination of eligible domestic, commercial or industrial wastewater for the 12 months before you apply to run a project.

You also need to provide evidence of the type and source of wastewater used in the 12 months before you apply to run a project.

Biogas that comes from a non-project source that is sent to be upgraded into biomethane as part of the project has separate eligibility criteria, discussed in more detail in the biomethane method package simple method guide.

Relevant section of the Act:

• Part 3

Relevant section of the Method:

• Section 8–11B
  

Project activities

A project involves replacing an open wastewater treatment lagoon with an anaerobic digester. Under this Method, an anaerobic digester must have a biogas collection and transfer system. An anaerobic digester can be created by:

• covering an open lagoon without adding extra heating and stirring features, or
• building an engineered biodigester with heating and stirring features.

The biogas from the anaerobic digester is then sent to a combustion device, or to be upgraded to biomethane in a biogas upgrading system. Any biomethane produced by the project must reasonably be expected to be combusted as a natural gas substitute in Australia. This may occur on-site, off-site at a separate facility, or when biomethane is injected into the gas grid.

The combustion device can be a new or existing flare, a boiler, or an internal combustion engine. Any other type of combustion device must:

• be approved by the Clean Energy Regulator before use
• destroy at least 98 per cent of the methane in the biogas, and
• be able to be monitored on a minute-by-minute basis.

Any combination of domestic, commercial and industrial wastewater can be treated as part of a project using this Method.

Under this Method, industrial wastewater is liquid waste and sludge resulting from the production of specific commodities by specific industries. Industrial wastewater does not include wastewater generated during farming or primary production (for example, piggery or dairy manure). However, it does include wastewater generated during the processing of primary products (for example, processing of pork or milk).

For further information about project activities, read the guide to using the domestic, commercial and industrial wastewater method.

For further information about running biomethane project activities, read the documentasset:biomethane method package - simple method guide.

Relevant section of the Method:

• Section 8–11B
  

Abatement calculations

Abatement is calculated by subtracting project emissions from baseline emissions.

Project emissions are those that result from energy used to run the project. This includes emissions from:

• fuel and electricity use
• the anaerobic digester, combustion device, and biogas upgrading systems, and
• the end management of digestate (the solid material that remains after wastewater treatment).

Baseline emissions are those that would have occurred if the wastewater was treated in an open lagoon instead of an anaerobic digester. They can be calculated by measuring either the amount of:

• organic material in the wastewater that would have been treated, or
• methane sent to the combustion device.

If you have undertaken historical sampling for the purposes of working out baseline emissions, you can choose to use either option above. Historical sampling involves collecting wastewater samples from the lagoon before replacing it with an anaerobic digester.

If your historical information does not meet the requirements in Section 45 of the Method, or if you do not have historical information, then you can only use the second option to calculate baseline emissions.

For further information about calculating baselines, emissions and abatement, read the guide to using the domestic, commercial and industrial wastewater method.

For further information about calculating net abatement for biomethane project activities, read the documentasset:biomethane method package - simple method guide.

Relevant section of the Method:

• Part 4
  

Reporting requirements

In addition to the reporting requirements of the Act and the Rule, Sections 42 to 42C of the Method also sets out the following method-specific requirements for offset reports:

• You must report any periods where it is not possible to meet monitoring requirements, as well as situations where the version of the NGER Measurement Determination used for determining a parameter or factor is not in force at the end of the reporting period.
• In such situations, you must report the version of the NGER (Measurement) Determination or external source that was used when undertaking monitoring, the dates that the version was used and why it was not possible for you to use the version that was in force at the end of the reporting period.

Relevant section of the Act:

• Part 6

Relevant section of the Rule:

• Part 6

Relevant section of the Method:

• Section 42 – 42C

Monitoring requirements

In addition to the general monitoring requirements of the Act, section 45 in the Method states that projects must meet specific monitoring requirements. These include monitoring the:

• quantities of ineligible materials and eligible wastewater treated by the project
• volume and methane content of biogas sent to combustion devices or biogas upgrading systems
• volume of fuel and electricity used by the project, and
• wet weight of digestate treated.

If you are unable to monitor any of the parameters used in the abatement calculations during a reporting period, you must determine their value following section 46 in the Method.

Relevant section of the Act:

• Part 17

Relevant section of the Method:

• Section 45–46

Record-keeping requirements

Scheme participants must keep records according to the general record-keeping requirements of the Act and Rules.

Relevant section of the Act:

• Part 17

Relevant section of the Rule:

• Part 17

Relevant section of the Method:

• Section 43A – 43C

Audits

All projects receive an audit schedule when the project is declared and must provide audit reports according to this schedule. A minimum of three audits will be scheduled and additional audits may be triggered. For more information on the audit requirements, see the Act, the Rule and the audit information on our website.

Relevant section of the Act:

• Part 19

Relevant section of the Rule:

• Part 6

Specialist skills

Specialist skills may be required to carry out the project with this method. Examples of specialist skills include:

• registered professional engineer
• certified energy manager, and
• certified measurement and verification professional.

Relevant section of the Rule:

• Section 13(f)