Eastern Creek Landfill Gas Project

Eastern Creek Landfill Gas Project is a waste-to-energy project located in the industrial suburb of Eastern Creek, approximately 35km west of the Sydney CBD and 12km south of Blacktown in New South Wales. Registered in November 2012, the project operates at the Eastern Creek Waste Management Centre, a site managed by the Waste Assets Management Corporation (WAMC).

The project operates under the "Electricity Generation from Landfill Gas" methodology. This involves capturing methane-rich biogas generated by the decomposition of organic legacy waste within the landfill. Instead of allowing this potent greenhouse gas to vent into the atmosphere or simply flaring it, the gas is harvested through a network of wells and combusted in gas engines to generate renewable electricity for the grid. This process converts methane into carbon dioxide, significantly reducing its global warming potential while providing a productive energy source.

The Eastern Creek region is characterized by a temperate climate with moderate rainfall, averaging around 800mm to 900mm annually. The local geology is dominated by the Cumberland Plain landscape, featuring heavy clay and shale-based soils (specifically derived from Wianamatta Shale) which are typical of Western Sydney and can present drainage challenges. The surrounding land use is heavily industrialized, featuring logistics hubs, waste management facilities, and the nearby Sydney Motorsport Park.

A notable aspect of this project is its operation on a "closed" landfill. While the site stopped accepting waste in 2017 after receiving approximately 7 million tonnes of material, the decomposing waste continues to generate gas. The project utilizes over 160 gas wells and generates approximately 50,000 MWh of electricity annually, enough to power roughly 6,000 homes, while abating over 270,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year.