NAWMA Landfill Gas Project

NAWMA Landfill Gas Project is a landfill gas to energy project located at the Uleybury Landfill (also referred to as the Uleybury Balefill), approximately 4km east of the major suburb of Elizabeth and 30km north-northeast of the Adelaide CBD in South Australia. Registered in December 2013, the project area encompasses the active municipal waste operations situated on the site of a former quartzite quarry.

The "Electricity Generation from Landfill Gas" methodology involves the installation of a network of vertical and horizontal wells to capture methane gas naturally produced by decomposing organic waste. Instead of allowing this potent greenhouse gas to vent into the atmosphere, it is extracted and combusted in a gas generator. This process not only safely destroys the methane but also produces renewable electricity that is exported to the local power grid.

The Uleybury region sits in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges and experiences a Mediterranean climate characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters with moderate rainfall. The landscape typically features soils classified as red-brown earths or clay loams over limestone and quartzite. General land use in the surrounding area is a mix of rural residential properties, grazing land, and nearby viticulture operations.

Operated by LMS Energy in partnership with the Northern Adelaide Waste Management Authority (NAWMA), the project transitioned from a revoked Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) method to continue capturing and combusting gas generated from both legacy and non-legacy waste. A uniquely interesting feature of this facility is its operation as a "balefill", general waste is first compacted into high-density 1.5-tonne bales at a dedicated transfer station before being transported to Uleybury for burial, which optimizes landfill space and minimizes windblown litter. Additionally, in 2017, the site became one of Australia's first waste facilities to integrate landfill gas generation with an adjacent solar farm, creating a pioneering hybrid renewable energy park.