July 2021 - WA Carbon Connections
This month:
South-west WA’s first soil carbon project added to ERF project register
DPIRD $15m carbon project support fund open for expressions of interest
ERF soil carbon methodology review to bring positive change
Soil carbon ‘ready reckoner’
Here’s a snapshot of the carbon prices today
Cullen Wines and Carbon West - WA soil carbon project pioneers
June was a big month for Cullen Wines, Carbon West and the soil carbon farming sector in Western Australia. On June 18, we gained official notification that the 'Cullen Wines Wilyabrup Soil Carbon Project - ERF165682' has been declared and registered on the Emissions Reduction Fund Register of Projects.
Led by Vanya Cullen and her passionate team at the Wilyabrup winery, the ERF soil carbon project begins 50 years after the first wine grape vines were planted on the property by Vanya's parents, Kevin and Diana Cullen, in 1971.
Cullen Wines has embraced an organic and biodynamic system of wine production over the past decade, with a strong focus on improving soil health. The results have been excellent, with a 2020 report showing the soil carbon sequestration in the top 30cm of its vineyard soils between 2014 and 2019 was 9548 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). As those gains were not officially recorded under a verified soil carbon project methodology, no Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) were generated. The registration of the 'Cullen Wines Wilyabrup Soil Carbon Project' aims to change all that, so all atmospheric carbon which is drawn down and stored in the soil within the project area will be counted and verified.
This project has been a challenge, but an interesting experience for both the Cullen Wines and Carbon West teams. This is a truly Western Australian soil carbon project. In a state where only one other soil carbon project has ever been registered, ERF165682 is 100% WA made, with local consultants, contractors and land managers delivering all aspects of the project requirements.
Cullen Wines aims to sequester at least 30 tonnes of soil organic carbon in the top 1 metre of soil on each hectare of the project area over the next 25 years, and possibly much more than that.
Vanya Cullen is delighted to have the chance to prove, more than ever, the high value of good land stewardship.... (as if the fine Cullen Wines are not proof enough!). Cullen Wines has now secured the chance to generate ACCUs, which will prove, beyond doubt, the amount of atmospheric carbon drawdown its good land stewardship achieves.
State Government carbon program goes live
WA’s $15 million Carbon Farming and Land Restoration Program (CF-LRP) is now live.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is taking expressions of interest from WA landholders wanting to enter the carbon market using this government-supported funding option.
The CFLRP has two 'streams', where one simply supports the development of Emissions Reduction Fund carbon projects under existing methodologies, while the other aims to encourage new carbon sequestration methodologies which best suit Western Australian conditions and land management practices (but are not yet legislated methodologies under the ERF).
Details on the CFLRP can be found here.
***Expressions of interest close on the 20th of August***
The program aims to target soil and vegetation carbon sequestration projects which would deliver a range of 'co-benefits' alongside carbon credits. Find out more at the DPIRD website or go straight to the expressions of interest page.
Carbon West offers advice to landholders wishing to better understand the carbon market, their carbon opportunities, and details of the CFLRP. Contact us through our website or by calling Jennifer on 0421 680 555.
ERF Soil Carbon Methodology Update
More positive developments in the world of soil carbon...
The draft version of the 2021 ERF soil carbon methodology was unveiled to stakeholders last month for feedback and suggestions. The current soil carbon methodology has been in place since 2018 and we are certainly looking forward to some positive changes when the 2021 method is approved later in the year.
We must stress that this information is taken from a draft and is of course all subject to change, but for now, here are some of the key updates:
Baseline period shortened from 10 years to 5 years:
This is a big one for getting projects off the ground! In the 2018 methodology, the land management records from the 10 years before the start of a soil carbon project had to be collated and considered in decisions on project eligibility. In the new methodology, this number is set to halve to 5 years.
Non-synthetic fertiliser rules amended
The 2018 Methodology prohibited the use of "non-synthetic fertiliser" in a soil carbon project area within 2 years of any soil carbon measurement round. Non-synthetic fertilisers include guano, seaweed powder, and molasses, among others. While restrictive, particularly for organic growers, the rule took a broad-brush approach to ensuring a project proponents couldn’t just dump a whole lot of carbon onto the project area soil (rather than removing it from the atmosphere), recording it as a gain and getting paid for that.
In the 2021 draft though, this has been revised a little, with non-synthetic fertilisers now being only "restricted" around sampling. There are now quite reasonable limits on the carbon content of inputs (5% dry weight), and once these limits are reached, additional carbon volumes would be discounted from gains measured in the area.
We see this as a big step forward for organic and regenerative farmers.
Testing before project declaration
This is another proposed change which would make it easier to establish a soil carbon project. Previously, a project had to be officially declared by the Clean Energy Regulator before a soil carbon baseline could be measured and applied to the project. In the 2021 version, there will likely be avenues for allowing a properly sampled measurement to be applied to the project even if they are taken before the project is declared.
Overall, we're excited for the possible changes in store for the methodology, of course, if a project is established under 2018 rules, it can be updated easily to the 2021 method once it is adopted. The draft is likely to be released for public consultation within a month or so, and it is hoped that the new methodology will be approved by the end of the year.
Equality in carbon measures
If you’re still a bit unsure about what the difference between a carbon credit and a tonne of carbon or a tonne of carbon dioxide, Carbon West has created these little info graphics to clear things up.
Quote of the day
"We know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot."
- Leonardo Da Vinci
This week's quote is a bit dated in scientific circles, but Leo still has a point, 600 years later. It would be a reasonably safe bet that most people can name the 9 planets of our solar system but not the 4 main groups of microbes in our soils.
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