Mornington Landfill Gas Project

Mornington Landfill Gas Project is a landfill gas capture and electricity generation project located on the Mornington Peninsula, approximately 50km south of Melbourne in Victoria. It was registered in February 2013 and operates over an unknown project area, restricted to the footprint of the local landfill site.

Electricity Generation from Landfill Gas projects involve the installation and continuous operation of a gas collection system to capture methane produced by decomposing organic matter in landfills. Under this methodology, the captured methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, is combusted to generate renewable electricity, significantly reducing emissions from both legacy and non-legacy waste [1].

The Mornington Peninsula region is characterized by a cool maritime climate and typically experiences moderate to high rainfall, which helps support the area's lush landscapes and agriculture. The local environment features a complex mix of soil types, ranging from sandy soils on the coastal fringes to brown chromosols and nutrient-rich volcanic red loams further inland. The surrounding regional land use is highly diverse, featuring coastal residential zones, grazing, horticulture, and premium viticulture.

An interesting note about this project is its long operational history and its evolution through the carbon scheme's methodology updates. It originally operated under a now-revoked 2012 legacy waste method, then varied to the 2015 Landfill Gas method, and finally transitioned again in February 2022 to the current Electricity Generation from Landfill Gas Methodology Determination 2021 [1]. Additionally, the proponent, LMS Energy Pty Ltd, bundled this project into a Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC362004) with the Commonwealth in February 2013 alongside several other regional landfill sites [2]. This fixed-delivery contract has now been successfully completed as of April 2022 [2].