Rochedale Landfill Gas Project

Rochedale Landfill Gas Project is an electricity generation from landfill gas project located at the Rochedale municipal landfill, approximately 15 to 20 kilometres southeast of the Brisbane CBD in Queensland. It was registered in March 2013 and covers an unknown area within the active bounds of the waste management facility.

Electricity generation from landfill gas projects involve the installation and continuing operation of a gas collection system to capture methane produced by decomposing organic waste, covering both legacy and non-legacy materials. Rather than releasing this highly potent greenhouse gas into the atmosphere or simply flaring it, the captured methane is combusted in specialised biogas engines to generate renewable electricity.

The Rochedale area is situated in the Greater Brisbane region, which is known for its urban and suburban residential developments mixed with major municipal infrastructure and light industry. The local environment is classified as sub-tropical with characteristically high summer rainfall, generally averaging between 1000mm and 1200mm annually. Soils in the broader Brisbane area typically feature Dermosols, Kurosols, and texture-contrast loamy clays that can set hard upon drying.

This project transitioned through several methodology variations since its initial registration under a revoked Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) method, most recently stepping up to the 2021 Methodology Determination. As an interesting note, the facility is managed by LMS Energy in a longstanding partnership with the Brisbane City Council. The site features a 7MW biogas installation, which recently integrated a new 1.1MW Jenbacher engine to generate enough renewable energy to power over 3,300 local households while displacing significant fossil fuel emissions. The project was contracted under the Emissions Reduction Fund in April 2015 and successfully completed its fixed delivery contract (CAC783510) in April 2022.