Hobart McRobies Gully Landfill Gas Abatement Facility

Hobart McRobies Gully Landfill Gas Abatement Facility is a landfill gas electricity generation project located in South Hobart, just a few kilometres west of the Hobart CBD in Tasmania. Registered in August 2013, the project operates within the municipal landfill footprint at the McRobies Gully Waste Management Centre, nestled in the forested foothills of Mount Wellington (kunanyi). The surrounding regional land use is a mix of urban and suburban development bordered by dense native forestry and conservation areas. The region experiences a temperate climate with moderate rainfall, and the local geology predominantly features dolerite-derived clay and podzolic soils.

Landfill gas projects involve the installation of a gas collection system within a waste facility. As legacy and non-legacy organic waste decomposes in the landfill, it produces methane, which is a highly potent greenhouse gas. The methodology requires operators to capture this gas and safely combust it, often using generators to produce electricity or via flaring, preventing the methane from entering the atmosphere and thereby earning carbon credits.

An interesting aspect of this project is its long operational history and continuous adaptation to changing carbon frameworks. To maintain compliance, the project has transitioned through three different iterations of the Carbon Farming Initiative methodologies, updating in 2015 and again in 2021. The project's management has also evolved significantly; it was originally managed by AGL Energy Services, then transitioned to the Sustainable Energy Infrastructure Trust, and in March 2022, ownership of the carbon rights was transferred to LMS Energy Pty Ltd, one of Australia's most experienced bioenergy companies. Furthermore, the facility successfully completed a major carbon abatement contract (CAC354956) with the Clean Energy Regulator in February 2023, delivering on a 2015 auction commitment to reduce emissions for the City of Hobart.