MRL Landfill Gas Abatement - Upgrade Project (Revoked)

MRL Landfill Gas Abatement - Upgrade Project (Revoked) was a landfill gas abatement project located at the Melbourne Regional Landfill (MRL) in Ravenhall, approximately 22km west of Melbourne's central business district. The project was registered on January 13, 2020, by Landfill Operations Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the major waste management company Cleanaway.

This specific project operated under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2015 with an "upgrade" classification. This methodology involves installing new wells or improving existing collection infrastructure to capture methane generated by decomposing waste, gas that would otherwise vent into the atmosphere. The "upgrade" distinction is critical; it credits only the additional abatement achieved by improving the system's collection efficiency above a historical baseline. The captured gas is combusted, converting potent methane into carbon dioxide and often generating electricity.

The Ravenhall area sits on the Victorian Volcanic Plain, a region characterized by heavy basalt clays and volcanic soils. It typically experiences a lower rainfall (approx. 500-600mm annually) compared to Melbourne's eastern suburbs due to the rain shadow effect. While the immediate site is a large-scale industrial waste facility, the surrounding historic land use was primarily grazing and cropping on the flat volcanic plains, though it is now rapidly urbanizing.

On February 15, 2023, the project was revoked under section 30 of the CFI Rule. This section refers to a voluntary revocation at the request of the proponent, often done to consolidate projects, transition to a newer method version (such as the 2021 Electricity Generation method), or adjust crediting periods. The MRL site itself remains active and is one of Australia's largest landfill operations, featuring significant biogas power generation facilities that feed electricity into the grid.