Shepparton Landfill Gas Project

Shepparton Landfill Gas Project is a waste-to-energy operation located at the Cosgrove Landfill (also known as the Greater Shepparton Regional Landfill), approximately 12 kilometers east of the major regional center of Shepparton in Victoria. Registered in March 2013, the project is operated by LMS Energy Pty Ltd, Australia's most experienced bioenergy proponent. While the specific project area is administratively listed as 'unknown', the facility manages gas extraction across the active landfill cells of the Cosgrove site, powering a generator with an installed capacity of approximately 0.78 megawatts.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Electricity Generation from Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2021. This methodology involves the installation of a network of wells and pipes to extract methane generated by the decomposition of organic waste. Instead of being released into the atmosphere, this gas is combusted in a specialized biogas engine to generate renewable electricity, which is then exported to the local grid. This process creates carbon credits by converting methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into less harmful carbon dioxide and displacing fossil-fuel-based energy.

The surrounding Goulburn Valley region is widely recognized as the "Food Bowl of Australia," characterized by intensive irrigated horticulture, including fruit orchards and dairy farming. The local environment is classified as semi-arid to temperate, with an average annual rainfall of approximately 450mm to 500mm. The soil composition in the immediate Cosgrove area typically consists of Shepparton fine sandy loams and red-brown medium clays, which are highly valued for agriculture when irrigated.

A notable feature of this project is its longevity and adaptability; it has successfully transitioned through multiple regulatory frameworks, moving from the original 'CFI' legacy waste method to the 2015 determination, and finally to the current 2021 method. The Greater Shepparton City Council has recently advanced development on "Cosgrove 3," a new landfill cell expansion, which ensures a continued supply of organic feedstock for the LMS Energy facility for decades to come.