Ipswich Landfill Gas Project

The Ipswich Landfill Gas Project is a waste emissions avoidance project located at the New Chum Landfill in the suburb of Riverview, Ipswich. The site is situated approximately 30 kilometers southwest of the Brisbane CBD in Queensland. Registered on February 10, 2013, the project is operated by LMS Energy Pty Ltd, Australia’s largest landfill biogas company. The facility sits within an industrial precinct that was historically used for coal mining before being converted into a waste management site.

Operating under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Electricity Generation from Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2021, the project involves the capture and combustion of methane generated by decomposing organic waste. Instead of allowing this potent greenhouse gas to vent into the atmosphere, the system collects the gas via a network of wells and pipes. It is then combusted in specialized generators (typically Jenbacher reciprocating gas engines) to produce renewable electricity, which is exported to the local grid. This dual-benefit activity reduces direct methane emissions and displaces electricity that would otherwise be generated by fossil fuels.

The Ipswich region features a humid subtropical climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 800mm to 900mm, with the wettest periods occurring during summer. The regional soil composition is dominated by Vertosols (cracking clays) and Chromosols (texture-contrast soils) derived from sedimentary rocks, although the immediate project area is highly modified due to its land-use history as a mine and landfill. The project successfully completed its fixed delivery contract (CAC783640) with the Clean Energy Regulator in April 2022, transitioning from earlier legacy waste methodologies to the current 2021 standard to ensure continued credit issuance.