Regions investment. This initiative is delivered by DAFWA in partnership with the Pilbara Development Commission and the Department of Regional Development, and works closely with the mining industry, Aboriginal groups and the pastoral industry. The authors like to thank Henry Brockman and Mitch Lever for their comments and suggestions to improve the document and Kathryn Buehrig and Janet Paterson for editing the document. Summary The Pilbara region covers 270 000 square kilometres (km2) of north-west Western Australia (WA). Its main agricultural land use is pastoralism, with beef cattle grazing native pastures. Currently, only 24km2 is under irrigation, with irrigated fodder the principal crop, but this could expand to 100km2. This expansion has the potential to significantly broaden the economic base of the Pilbara. Irrigation and the opportunities for changing land use and management may facilitate greater participation in the carbon economy by Pilbara land managers. Bioenergy feedstocks be sourced from purpose-grown crops or agricultural wastes. Carbon farming activities may be facilitated by the land use and management changes that are possible with the introduction of irrigated agriculture into existing pastoral systems. This report investigates the potential for land managers in the Pilbara to produce bioenergy from feedstocks sourced from irrigated agriculture, and to undertake carbon farming activities that are facilitated by introducing irrigated agriculture. Bioenergy There is a large demand for transport and stationary energy at several Pilbara locations. However, the energy market in the Pilbara is expensive because of the limited interconnected electrical grid and the distance over which fuels must be transported. Combined with the development of irrigation areas, this raises the possibility that locally grown crops dedicated to energy production, crop residues and animal effluent from feedlots might be viable alternatives to current energy supplies, which are dominated by fossil fuels. Several technologies for converting biomass to energy are now mature and the number of commercial-scale facilities is increasing in Australia and overseas. However, the slow rate of uptake in the market suggests there is still a perception of risk when compared to conventional power generation. To achieve long-term sustainability, bioenergy projects in the Pilbara would need to: be technically viable at the medium to large scale be suitable for the hot climate and remote location be able to use locally available feedstocks reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts
Regions investment. This initiative is delivered by DAFWA in partnership with the Pilbara Development Commission and the Department of Regional Development, and works closely with the mining industry, Aboriginal groups and the pastoral industry. The authors like to thank Henry Brockman and Mitch Lever for their comments and suggestions to improve the document and Kathryn Buehrig and Janet Paterson for editing the document. Summary The Pilbara region covers 270 000 square kilometres (km2) of north-west Western Australia (WA). Its main agricultural land use is pastoralism, with beef cattle grazing native pastures. Currently, only 24km2 is under irrigation, with irrigated fodder the principal crop, but this could expand to 100km2. This expansion has the potential to significantly broaden the economic base of the Pilbara. Irrigation and the opportunities for changing land use and management may facilitate greater participation in the carbon economy by Pilbara land managers. Bioenergy feedstocks be sourced from purpose-grown crops or agricultural wastes. Carbon farming activities may be facilitated by the land use and management changes that are possible with the introduction of irrigated agriculture into existing pastoral systems. This report investigates the potential for land managers in the Pilbara to produce bioenergy from feedstocks sourced from irrigated agriculture, and to undertake carbon farming activities that are facilitated by introducing irrigated agriculture. Bioenergy There is a large demand for transport and stationary energy at several Pilbara locations. However, the energy market in the Pilbara is expensive because of the limited interconnected electrical grid and the distance over which fuels must be transported. Combined with the development of irrigation areas, this raises the possibility that locally grown crops dedicated to energy production, crop residues and animal effluent from feedlots might be viable alternatives to current energy supplies, which are dominated by fossil fuels. Several technologies for converting biomass to energy are now mature and the number of commercial-scale facilities is increasing in Australia and overseas. However, the slow rate of uptake in the market suggests there is still a perception of risk when compared to conventional power generation. To achieve long-term sustainability, bioenergy projects in the Pilbara would need to: be technically viable at the medium to large scale be suitable for the hot climate and remote location be able to use locally available feedstocks reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts
Bioenergy%20and%20carbon%20farming%20opportunities%20in%20the%20Pilbara%20-%20Bulletin%204884%20%28Word%204MB%29.docx