'Mount Gambier Landfill Gas Project

Mount Gambier Landfill Gas Project is a landfill gas project located at the Caroline Landfill, approximately 12 kilometers southeast of Mount Gambier in South Australia. Registered in June 2022, the project operates across a 55-hectare site that serves as the primary waste disposal facility for the Mount Gambier community. The surrounding region is part of the Limestone Coast, which is widely known for its agricultural productivity, particularly dairy farming and Green Triangle radiata pine forestry plantations. The area experiences a cool, wet climate with reliable winter-dominant rainfall and features rich volcanic loam and limestone-based soils.

Landfill gas projects operating under the Carbon Farming Initiative methodology involve the installation of a gas collection system, comprising vertical extraction wells and pipework, to capture methane generated by the decomposition of organic waste. Standard requirements dictate capturing this potent greenhouse gas before it vents into the atmosphere and combusting it via flaring or electricity generation. This process converts the methane into carbon dioxide, which has a significantly lower global warming potential.

This specific project installs a collection system to capture and combust gas generated from both legacy (historical) and non-legacy waste at the landfill. An interesting aspect of the Mount Gambier Landfill Gas Project is its collaborative model: following a public consultation process in 2021, the City of Mount Gambier leased a portion of the Caroline Landfill to LMS Energy Pty Ltd, successfully integrating the private operation with local council sustainability goals. After commissioning the gas capture system in February 2023, the site captured more than 2.7 million cubic meters of landfill gas by early 2026. This operation has generated carbon credits and provided a direct royalty revenue stream that helps offset the council's ongoing waste management and landfill operating costs.