Woy Woy Landfill Gas Upgrade Project

The Woy Woy Landfill Gas Upgrade Project is a waste sector project located at the Woy Woy Waste Management Facility on Nagari Road, approximately 5 kilometers southwest of the Woy Woy town center in New South Wales. Registered in June 2022, the project operates within the boundary of the existing landfill site, which sits adjacent to the Brisbane Water National Park. The surrounding region is characterized by a mix of residential zones, protected bushland, and coastal waterways, distinct from the agricultural land uses often associated with carbon farming.

This project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Electricity Generation from Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2021. The methodology awards Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) for capturing methane released by decomposing legacy and non-legacy waste, gas that would otherwise vent into the atmosphere. The "upgrade" classification indicates that the proponent, LMS Energy, has installed new infrastructure or improved the existing gas collection system to increase capture efficiency beyond historical baseline levels. The captured gas is combusted in a generator to produce renewable electricity, converting potent methane into less harmful carbon dioxide while feeding power into the local grid.

Environmentally, the Woy Woy region experiences a high rainfall, temperate coastal climate, averaging over 1,200mm annually. The local terrain is heavily influenced by the underlying Hawkesbury Sandstone, resulting in soils that are typically sandy loams or shallow lithosols, though the landfill operation itself utilizes imported clay materials for cell lining and capping to manage leachate and gas containment.

An interesting aspect of this project is its integration with Central Coast Council's broader waste management strategy. While the Council owns the facility, they partner with LMS Energy to manage the biogas. The site has been operational since 1974, and recent upgrades not only support carbon abatement but also align with the Council's "South Cell" expansion, designed to extend the landfill's operational life while improving environmental controls. The facility operates under NSW Environment Protection Licence 6053, ensuring strict monitoring of surface gas emissions.