NAWMA Landfill Gas Project

NAWMA Landfill Gas Project is an electricity generation from landfill gas 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 operates on the site of a former quartzite quarry. The general land use in the surrounding area is a mix of rural residential properties, grazing land, and nearby viticulture operations.

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 safely destroys the methane while producing renewable electricity that is exported to the local power grid. Operating under legacy and non-legacy waste methods, the project transitioned from a revoked Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) method.

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.

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 significantly 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. This pioneering hybrid renewable energy park channels thermal energy from 5000 square metres of solar panels alongside methane gas from decomposed waste through a shared turbine inter-connector, generating baseload power to supply the South Australian grid.