Lucas Heights 2 Landfill Gas Project

Lucas Heights 2 Landfill Gas Project is a landfill gas to electricity project located at Lucas Heights, approximately 40km southwest of the Sydney CBD in NSW. It was registered in December 2012.

Electricity Generation from Landfill Gas projects involve capturing methane, a potent greenhouse gas produced by the decomposition of organic waste, and combusting it to generate renewable electricity. This process actively prevents methane from venting directly into the atmosphere, creating carbon abatement while supplying usable power to the national grid.

The Lucas Heights area is heavily utilised for large-scale waste management infrastructure (the Lucas Heights Resource Recovery Park) and scientific research facilities, bordered by large tracts of native bushland. The region experiences moderate to high rainfall, averaging around 1,000mm annually. The local soil environment is dominated by the 'Lucas Heights' soil landscape, which generally consists of sandstone-derived, hard-setting yellow podzolic soils and clay.

This project transitioned from a revoked Carbon Farming Initiative method and continues to capture gas generated from both legacy and non-legacy waste. Operated by EDL LFG (NSW) Pty Ltd, the gas powers the associated Lucas Heights Power Station, a significant 19.3MW facility capable of generating enough electricity to power over 17,000 homes. The project also successfully fulfilled a Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC781436) with the Australian Government, which was completed in September 2022 after delivering over 1.4 million Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) to the Commonwealth.