Tweed Landfill Gas Project

The Tweed Landfill Gas Project is a waste management and emissions reduction initiative located at the Stotts Creek Resource Recovery Centre, approximately 12 kilometers southwest of Tweed Heads in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Registered in February 2013, the project is a partnership between the proponent, LMS Energy, and the Tweed Shire Council. While the specific project area size is not publicly listed, it encompasses the active and legacy waste cells of the council's primary waste management facility.

Operating under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2015, the project involves the installation of a network of wells and pipes into the landfill mass. These systems capture methane, a potent greenhouse gas generated by decomposing organic waste, that would otherwise vent into the atmosphere. The captured gas is combusted, converting the methane into carbon dioxide, which has a significantly lower global warming potential. In this specific project, the gas is utilized to fuel a generator, producing renewable electricity that is exported to the local grid.

The project is situated in the Tweed Valley, an area characterized by a humid subtropical climate with high annual rainfall, which can accelerate waste decomposition and gas generation rates. The local terrain features the alluvial floodplains of Stotts Creek, surrounded by agricultural land used primarily for sugar cane cultivation and grazing, as well as remnants of coastal rainforest. The soil in the broader region is typically a mix of fertile alluvial clays and volcanic basalts.

An interesting aspect of this project is its longevity and evolution; it transitioned from an earlier 'CFI' method to the current method to capture gas from both legacy (pre-2012) and non-legacy waste. Although the project's initial carbon abatement contract (CAC362004) with the Australian Government was successfully completed in April 2022, the facility continues to operate. This ongoing activity supports the Tweed Shire Council's "zero-waste ambition" and reduces the municipality's carbon liability while generating baseload renewable energy.