Southern Waste Landfill Gas Upgrade Project

The Southern Waste Landfill Gas Upgrade Project is a waste management project located in Seaford Heights, approximately 35 kilometers south of Adelaide’s central business district in South Australia. Registered in February 2017, the project operates within the Southern Region Waste Resource Authority (SRWRA) landfill facility. The surrounding region is characterized by a mix of expanding residential developments and the famous McLaren Vale wine region, where land use is dominated by viticulture and quarrying operations.

This project operates under the Landfill Gas methodology, specifically focusing on upgrading existing gas collection systems. Standard landfill gas projects involve installing wells and pipes to capture methane, a potent greenhouse gas generated by decomposing organic waste, and combusting it via flares or internal combustion engines to convert it into less harmful carbon dioxide. As an "upgrade" project, this specific activity involves improving the efficiency of the site's legacy gas collection infrastructure to capture and destroy methane that would have otherwise escaped into the atmosphere despite previous collection efforts.

The Seaford Heights area experiences a Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The region typically receives an average annual rainfall of approximately 440mm to 460mm. The local soil profile is often described as texture-contrast, featuring sandy topsoils overlying clayey subsoils, a composition that supports the extensive vineyards located immediately to the east and south of the project site.

LMS Energy, the project proponent, is a leading figure in the Australian bioenergy sector. A notable regulatory event for this project occurred in July 2020, when LMS Energy voluntarily relinquished 4,399 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) following a self-identified adjustment, demonstrating compliance with the scheme's strict reporting standards. The project also transitioned its methodology in 2021 to the updated 2021 compilation of the Landfill Gas determination.