Woodlawn Energy Generation Project

Woodlawn Energy Generation Project is a landfill gas electricity generation project located at the Woodlawn Eco-Precinct in Tarago, approximately 50km north of Canberra in NSW. It was registered in July 2015. While the exact project area is not specified, it operates on a massive scale within a former open-cut copper, lead, and zinc mine void.

Electricity generation from landfill gas projects involve the installation of infrastructure to capture methane gas generated by decomposing putrescible waste. The captured methane is then combusted in a generator to produce clean electricity, preventing the potent greenhouse gas from freely entering the atmosphere.

The Tarago region is predominantly known for sheep and cattle grazing, agriculture, and forestry. The area experiences a moderate climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 600mm to 700mm. Naturally occurring soils in the surrounding agricultural landscape consist of acidic, granite-derived duplex soils, lithosols, and kandosols, although the project site itself is defined by highly disturbed anthropogenic soils and exposed rock batters resulting from its long mining history.

This project transitioned from a revoked Carbon Farming Initiative method and continues to safely capture and combust gas generated from both legacy and non-legacy waste. The facility, currently managed by VELMS Joint Venture Pty Ltd, receives up to 20% of Sydney's putrescible waste, which is safely transported to the site via rail. The precinct acts as a fascinating example of circular economy practices; for instance, excess heat recovered from the on-site gas generators is utilised for sustainable aquaculture, producing approximately 3,600 kg of fish (such as barramundi) annually for the local restaurant market. Additionally, the carbon project successfully fulfilled its Commonwealth carbon abatement contract (CAC102472) in August 2022.