Cessnock Landfill Gas Upgrade Project

Cessnock Landfill Gas Upgrade Project is a landfill gas capture and upgrade project located at the Cessnock Waste Management Centre in Cessnock, approximately 50km west of Newcastle in the Hunter Region of New South Wales. It was registered in July 2023.

Landfill gas projects under the Carbon Farming Initiative involve capturing and combusting methane gas generated by decomposing organic waste at landfill sites. Because methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas, often cited as 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide, capturing and flaring it, or converting it into electricity, delivers substantial and measurable emissions reductions.

The Cessnock and broader Hunter Valley region is well known for its viticulture, agriculture, and historic coal mining operations. The local environment typically experiences moderate to high rainfall, and the landscape features soils that are primarily podzolic, clay loams, and alluvial in the valleys.

This specific project upgrades an existing landfill gas collection system to more efficiently capture and combust biogas generated from both legacy and non-legacy waste. The project is operated by LMS Energy in a collaborative partnership with the Cessnock City Council. The biogas flaring facility operates as a contained unit, actively stopping fugitive methane emissions from reaching the atmosphere and contributing to significant local environmental benefits.