Woodlawn Energy Generation Project

Woodlawn Energy Generation Project is an electricity generation from landfill gas project located at the Woodlawn Eco-Precinct in Tarago, approximately 39km south of Goulburn in New South Wales. It was registered in July 2015 and covers an unknown area.

Electricity generation from landfill gas projects involve the installation of infrastructure to capture methane gas emitted by the decomposition of organic waste. This captured gas is then combusted, typically via a gas engine, to generate electricity, which converts the potent methane into less harmful carbon dioxide and reduces overall greenhouse gas emissions. As noted in its history, this project transitioned from a revoked methodology and continues to capture and combust gas generated at the landfill from both legacy and non-legacy waste.

The Tarago area and the wider Southern Tablelands region are traditionally known for sheep and cattle grazing, as well as regional cropping. The area experiences a temperate climate with moderate rainfall, featuring warm summers and cold winters. Regional agricultural soils typically include texture-contrast soils such as Chromosols, though the project itself is uniquely situated within a former zinc-copper-lead open-cut mine void that has been repurposed as a massive 33 million cubic metre waste bioreactor.

This project operates within Veolia's broader Woodlawn Eco-Precinct, which receives residual waste transported by train from Sydney to reduce heavy truck movements. An interesting feature of the precinct is its use of excess heat and energy recovered from the bioreactor to power an on-site sustainable barramundi fish farm, selling over 3,600kg of fish annually to the Canberra market. Additionally, Veolia operates a 10,000-head sheep and 500-head cattle farm on the adjacent land to improve natural capital. In June 2026, the project's proponent was varied to VELMS JOINT VENTURE PTY LTD, reflecting an updated joint venture partnership for the site's management.