Kemps Creek Landfill Gas Upgrade Project

The Kemps Creek Landfill Gas Upgrade Project is a landfill gas (LFG) electricity generation project located in Kemps Creek, New South Wales, approximately 45 kilometers west of the Sydney CBD. Registered in December 2022, the project operates at the Cleanaway Elizabeth Drive landfill site. The facility sits within the Cumberland Plain region, an area historically defined by market gardens, grazing, and semi-rural properties, which is now increasingly transitioning into a hub for waste management and industrial infrastructure near the Western Sydney Aerotropolis.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Electricity Generation from Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2021. This methodology credits the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions achieved by capturing methane, a potent greenhouse gas generated by decomposing organic waste, and combusting it in electricity generators. By converting methane into carbon dioxide and generating renewable energy, the project displaces fossil-fuel-based grid electricity. As an "upgrade" project, it specifically involves improvements to an existing gas collection system to increase capture efficiency and generation capacity from both legacy and non-legacy waste.

Environmentally, the Kemps Creek region is characterized by a temperate climate with moderate rainfall, averaging roughly 800mm annually. The local terrain consists of gently undulating plains with heavy clay soils derived from Wianamatta Shale, often classified under the South Creek or Blacktown soil landscapes. These soils are typically deep, chemically poor, and prone to waterlogging, factors that make the land well-suited for non-agricultural uses like the siting of large-scale waste facilities.

An interesting aspect of this project is its continuity; it serves as a successor to earlier gas capture initiatives at the site, previously operated under the SITA brand before Cleanaway's acquisition. The site is a critical piece of Sydney's waste infrastructure, accepting general solid waste (putrescible and non-putrescible).