Mugga Lane Landfill Gas Upgrade Project

The Mugga Lane Landfill Gas Upgrade Project is a landfill gas electricity generation project located at the Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre in Symonston, Australian Capital Territory. The site is situated approximately 10 kilometers south of the Canberra CBD. Registered in June 2020, the project operates within a designated waste management precinct that is surrounded by light industrial zones and nature reserves, such as the Callum Brae Nature Reserve.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Electricity Generation from Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2021. This methodology involves the installation and operation of a gas collection system to capture methane (biogas) generated by the decomposition of organic waste in the landfill. Instead of venting this potent greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, the project combusts it in gas engines to generate renewable electricity. To generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), the project must destroy methane that would otherwise have been released, with the 2021 methodology specifically covering projects that generate electricity from this process.

The Symonston region experiences a temperate climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 600mm to 650mm. The local terrain typically consists of clay and shale-derived soils, which are characteristic of the Canberra plains, though the immediate project area is a highly modified engineered landfill environment.

This project represents a significant upgrade to the site's legacy infrastructure. Developed by LGI Limited in partnership with the ACT Government, the facility initially commissioned a 4MW power station in 2020, which was later expanded to 6MW with a 20MW grid connection. It is capable of powering approximately 10,800 homes annually. A notable feature of this project is the integration of a 12MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), creating a "hybrid" renewable energy facility that can dispatch power during peak demand, further stabilizing the local electricity grid. The project transitioned from the 2015 method to the 2021 method in May 2023 to facilitate these expansions.