Grafton Regional Landfill landfill gas capture and combustion project

The Grafton Regional Landfill landfill gas capture and combustion project is a waste emissions avoidance project located at the Grafton Regional Landfill facility, approximately 12 kilometers south of the township of Grafton in the Clarence Valley region of New South Wales. Registered in October 2014, the project transitioned from the earlier Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) and operates within the boundaries of the active waste management site. The surrounding region is predominantly defined by rural land uses, including cattle grazing and forestry operations, which take advantage of the area's river systems and vegetation.

This project operates under the Landfill Gas methodology, which incentivizes the installation of gas collection systems in landfills where there is no regulatory requirement to do so. The primary activity involves capturing methane, a potent greenhouse gas generated by the anaerobic decomposition of organic legacy and non-legacy waste, and destroying it through combustion. By converting methane into carbon dioxide and water vapor via an enclosed flare or electricity generation unit, the project significantly reduces the global warming potential of the emissions released from the site.

Environmentally, the Grafton area is characterized by a humid subtropical climate with a relatively high average annual rainfall of approximately 925mm to 1000mm. The soil composition in the wider Clarence Valley often consists of alluvial soils on floodplains and podzolic or clay-based soils in the surrounding ridges; the landfill site itself typically relies on clay-rich geological barriers or engineered linings to manage leachate and gas containment effectively.

A notable aspect of this project is its long-standing partnership between local government and the private sector. Originally developed with Clarence Valley Council as the proponent, the project participant role was formally transferred to LGI Limited in January 2025 following a decade of successful collaboration. LGI Limited has reported that recent infrastructure upgrades, including the installation of new vertical gas wells in 2024 and 2025, have effectively doubled the site's methane capture rate. Furthermore, the project successfully completed its Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC648508) with the Australian Government in 2022, delivering 45,000 tonnes of abatement.