Shoalhaven LFG Upgrade Project

Shoalhaven LFG Upgrade Project is a landfill gas electricity generation project located at the West Nowra Waste and Recycling Facility, approximately 5km west of Nowra in the Shoalhaven region of New South Wales. Registered in December 2020, the project is managed by LGI Limited in partnership with the Shoalhaven City Council. The facility serves as the primary waste disposal site for the region, surrounded by state forest and rural bushland typical of the New South Wales South Coast.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Electricity Generation from Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2021. This methodology rewards project proponents for capturing methane generated by decomposing waste, gas that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere, and combusting it to generate electricity. As an "upgrade" project, it involves improving an existing gas collection system to increase capture efficiency from both legacy (pre-2012) and non-legacy waste streams.

The Shoalhaven region is characterized by a temperate climate with high rainfall, averaging over 1,100mm annually, which accelerates waste decomposition and gas generation. The local terrain sits within the Sydney Basin sedimentary geology, typically featuring Chromosol and Kurosol soils, texture-contrast soils often found in the region's undulating bushland and grazing areas.

LGI Limited has installed advanced flaring infrastructure at the site, with plans to develop a renewable hybrid power station that includes battery storage to provide dispatchable power to the local grid. This partnership allows the Shoalhaven City Council to reduce its carbon footprint and earn royalties from the gas recovery without bearing the capital costs of the infrastructure.