The Goulburn Murray Woka Yurringa Project is being led by project developer, Valorify in partnership with local Indigenous pioneer, Yurringa Energy.

The Goulburn Murray Woka Yurringa Project is a transformational bioenergy and Circular Economy project, to be developed and centred around Greater Shepparton in the Goulburn Murray region of Victoria.

Renowned as one of Australia’s largest food production areas, this project is designed to maximise the effective use of low-grade or excess straw and stubble and other residue such as food processing waste, culled fruit and orchard prunings, transforming this material into renewable gas, electricity, heat and other valuable co-products.

Regional Development Victoria is currently supporting Valorify to progress the project through to FEL 2 completion.

“The GMWY Project is an exciting and innovative initiative designed to help the region meet its aspirations as tabled under the Goulburn Murray Resilience Strategy, in this case providing a Circular Economy and clean energy solution to support decarbonisation of industry in the region, while also creating opportunities for the ag sector, local employment and engagement of the Indigenous community.”

Dr Scott Grierson
CEO – Valorify

There are many potential benefits associated with this project concept,
including:

  • Providing project equity ‘buy in’ for Yurringa Energy.
  • Delivering permanent jobs, creating wealth and contributing to self-determination of the Yorta Yorta people

  • Potential to achieve long-term, meaningful carbon drawdown by sequestering and stabilising it in soil, while improving the quality and productivity of local farmland.

  • Creating permanent jobs for the community during construction, but also across the straw supply chain in baling, haulage and the operation of the plant itself, creating a multiplying effect on regional GDP and building capacity in the region.

  • Supporting decarbonisation of the mains gas supply as well as potentially stable, ‘baseload’, firmed electricity supply to complement asynchronous wind and solar PV generation in the network.

  • Aligning to political directives and community expectations around the ‘Circular Economy’.

  • This primary energy asset forms the centrepiece of a new ‘industrial ecology’ subdivision, designed to attract new investment and industry that can benefit from direct access to low carbon, “behind the meter” energy, as well as other products and services, creating even more jobs.

  • A key objective is creating a ‘Discretionary Trust’ structure to provide a pool of funds that will support ongoing investment into the Goulburn Murray region, as a way of ‘giving back’ to the local community and spreading the benefits.

Farmers & suppliers:

  • Removes the variability of market demand, price volatility and the annual management headache associated with excess straw and stubble by providing a stable offtake.
  • Avoids both the cost and risk of annual stubble burn-off, a practice that may well soon be phased out through regulation, turning this liability into a steady, annual stream of revenue.
  • Provides payment to farmers to support regional economic growth, income diversification and community development.
  • Presents a platform for improved carbon and nutrient management on farm, potentially also reducing opex and improving crop productivity.

  • An ‘opt in’ prospect for investment in the project itself for registered suppliers and participants will be considered at the appropriate time.

Now seeking Expressions of Interest

“I’ve been tracking this project for some time and am excited about what this offers our community! It’s been built on a unique partnership between Valorify and Yurringa Energy and provides a much-needed Circular Economy solution for the GM region.”

Sarah Thomson
Chair, Goulburn Murray Resilience Strategy Taskforce

“Utilising cereal straw for energy aligns strongly with increasing importance of utilising local renewable resources to drive a circular economy while encouraging a platform which showcases a leading global example of agricultural innovation in action. Given the scale of cereal straw production in Australia, this has real potential to provide an important benchmark and ‘alternative use’ case for agricultural residues that benefits farmers and the wider community”

David Jochinke
Vice-President, National Farmers Federation