Stuart Landfill Gas Project

The Stuart Landfill Gas Project is a waste management and emissions avoidance project located at the Stuart Waste Facility, approximately 12 kilometers southeast of the Townsville CBD in Queensland. Registered in August 2013, the project operates within the industrial suburb of Stuart, an area characterized by major infrastructure including the Sun Metals Zinc Refinery and the Mount Stuart Power Station. The facility serves as the primary landfill for the Townsville region, situated in a landscape defined by the dry tropical savanna climate of North Queensland.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology credits the destruction of methane, a potent greenhouse gas generated by the decomposition of organic waste in oxygen-poor environments. By installing a network of wells and pipes, the proponent, LMS Energy, captures this gas and combusts it. This process converts the methane into carbon dioxide and water, significantly reducing its global warming potential. As a transitioning project, it captures gas from both "legacy" waste (deposited before the scheme's baseline dates) and "non-legacy" waste.

Environmentally, the Townsville region is known for its distinct "dry tropics" climate, experiencing high-intensity rainfall during the summer wet season (November to April) and long, dry winters. The average annual rainfall is approximately 1,143mm. The soils in the Stuart area, particularly on the coastal plains surrounding Mount Stuart, are typically heavy clays and duplex soils, which can be reactive and prone to waterlogging during the monsoon season.

LMS Energy, in partnership with the Townsville City Council, has developed the site into the "Stuart Bio-Energy Facility." While initially operating with flaring infrastructure, the project includes power generation capabilities. Recent development applications indicate the facility has been approved to expand its capacity to approximately 2.2 megawatts by installing additional generation modules, allowing the captured methane to be converted into renewable base-load electricity for the local grid.