Woodlawn Energy Generation Project

Woodlawn Energy Generation Project is a Landfill Gas (LFG) generation project located at the Woodlawn Eco-Precinct, approximately 7km west of Tarago and 40km south of Goulburn in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. Registered on July 3, 2015, the project operates within a highly modified landscape, utilizing the void of a former open-cut zinc, copper, and lead mine to deposit waste. While the broader Eco-Precinct covers approximately 6,000 hectares, the carbon project specifically focuses on the capture and combustion of gas from the bioreactor landfill facility.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Electricity Generation from Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2021. This methodology credits the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions achieved by capturing methane, a potent greenhouse gas released during the decomposition of organic waste, and combusting it in internal combustion engines. By converting the methane into carbon dioxide and generating renewable electricity that is exported to the grid, the project achieves abatement both by destroying the methane and by displacing fossil-fuel-generated power.

The region surrounding the facility is characteristic of the NSW Southern Tablelands, featuring a temperate climate with an annual rainfall of approximately 600mm to 700mm. The general land use in the district is dominated by sheep and cattle grazing, though the area has become a hub for renewable energy, hosting wind and solar farms alongside the waste facility. While the regional soils are typically texture-contrast soils (Chromosols) and loams derived from sedimentary rock, the project site itself is unique due to its industrial history as a rehabilitated mine site.

A notable feature of the Woodlawn Energy Generation Project is its integration into a circular economy model. Beyond generating electricity, waste heat from the gas engines has been utilized for onsite aquaculture (barramundi farming) and horticulture operations. The project has a robust compliance history, having successfully transitioned through the 2012, 2015, and 2021 methodology variations, and it has successfully completed a Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC102472) with the Australian Government.