NAWMA Landfill Gas Project

NAWMA Landfill Gas Project is an electricity generation from landfill gas project located at the Uleybury Landfill, approximately 4km east of Elizabeth and 30km north-northeast of Adelaide in South Australia. It was registered in December 2013 by LMS Energy Pty Ltd and covers the active footprint of the landfill site.

Electricity generation from landfill gas projects involve the installation of a network of vertical and horizontal wells to capture methane gas produced by decomposing organic waste. Instead of allowing this potent greenhouse gas to vent into the atmosphere, it is captured and combusted in a generator to produce renewable electricity. This specific project transitioned from revoked early Carbon Farming Initiative methods to the 2021 methodology, continuing to capture gas generated from both legacy and non-legacy waste.

The Uleybury area experiences a Mediterranean climate featuring hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters typical of South Australia's moderate winter-dominant rainfall zones. Situated on a former quartzite quarry in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges, the site's soils are typically classified as red-brown earths and clay loams (Calcarosols) overlying limestone or quartzite. Surrounding regional land use is heavily characterised by rural residential properties, grazing land, and viticulture operations.

A unique feature of the Uleybury facility is its operation as a "balefill," where waste is compacted into high-density bales at a transfer station before being transported to the site for burial, optimising space and significantly reducing windblown litter. Additionally, this project is recognised for being part of an Australian-first hybrid renewable energy initiative. The project proponent, LMS Energy, and the Northern Adelaide Waste Management Authority (NAWMA) combined the landfill gas generators with an adjacent 5000-square-metre solar farm. This system directs both thermal energy and methane gas through a shared inter-connector to supply base-load power to the South Australian grid. Finally, the project successfully delivered on its early carbon abatement commitments, completing its fixed delivery contract with the Commonwealth (CAC164941) in October 2021.