Mandalong Waste Coal Mine Gas Power Station

Mandalong Waste Coal Mine Gas Power Station is a Coal Mine Waste Gas (CMWG) project located in the locality of Mandalong, approximately 5 kilometers west of Morisset and 35 kilometers southwest of Newcastle in New South Wales. Registered in November 2017, the project is situated within the operational footprint of Centennial Coal’s Mandalong Mine. The surrounding region is defined by a mix of heavy industrial land use, rural residential properties, and significant forestry areas, including the adjacent Olney State Forest.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Coal Mine Waste Gas) Methodology Determination 2015. This framework credits the destruction of fugitive methane emissions that would otherwise be vented into the atmosphere during underground coal mining operations. Specifically, this facility utilizes a displacement electricity production approach, capturing methane from the mine's drainage and ventilation systems to fuel electricity generation devices. This process converts potent greenhouse gases into energy, displacing fossil-fuel-intensive electricity that would otherwise be drawn from the grid.

Environmentally, the Lake Macquarie region experiences a humid subtropical climate characterized by relatively high rainfall, averaging over 1,100mm annually. The terrain is typical of the Newcastle Coal Measures, consisting largely of sedimentary soils such as clays and loams which support dense eucalypt forests in the undisturbed areas surrounding the mine site.

The facility itself is an 8MW power station developed and operated by EDL Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd under a long-term arrangement with Centennial Coal. By converting waste gas into electricity, the project supplies a significant portion of the mine’s power requirements, reducing the operation's reliance on external energy sources while simultaneously mitigating its carbon footprint.