Awaba Landfill Gas Project

Awaba Landfill Gas Project is a waste sector project located at the Awaba Waste Management Facility, approximately 4km west of Toronto and 25km southwest of Newcastle in New South Wales. Registered in February 2013, the project operates on the council-owned landfill site which covers approximately 32.5 hectares. The facility serves the Lake Macquarie region, surrounded largely by native bushland and rural-residential properties typical of the awakening Hunter Region.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Electricity Generation from Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2021. This methodology rewards project proponents for installing infrastructure to extract landfill gas (methane) generated by decomposing organic waste. Instead of venting this potent greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, the system captures it and combusts it in generation units to produce renewable electricity. This process converts the methane into carbon dioxide, which has a significantly lower global warming potential, and displaces fossil-fuel-based electricity from the grid.

Environmentally, the Lake Macquarie region is characterized by a humid subtropical climate with high rainfall, averaging over 1,100mm annually. The local geology is dominated by the Newcastle Coal Measures, typically resulting in sedimentary-derived soils such as clays and loams. These soil types are particularly suitable for landfill operations due to their natural low permeability, which assists in containment.

A unique historical aspect of this project involves its role in balancing LMS Energy's broader carbon portfolio. In September 2013, the Clean Energy Regulator required LMS Energy to relinquish over 22,000 credits related to their Wollert Landfill Gas Project in Victoria. To satisfy this regulatory requirement, LMS Energy utilized Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) generated by this Awaba project, effectively using Awaba's performance to cover the liability of another asset. The project has also demonstrated significant longevity, transitioning through multiple regulatory frameworks, from the original 2012 CFI method to the 2015 determination, and finally to the current 2021 methodology.