Morwell Landfill Emissions Avoidance Project

Morwell Landfill Emissions Avoidance Project is a landfill gas project located at the Hyland Highway Landfill in Loy Yang, approximately 10km southeast of Morwell in Victoria's Latrobe Valley. It was registered in September 2023 by the Latrobe City Council, with Samuel Willacy listed as the project agent.

Landfill gas projects involve the installation of gas collection systems, such as vertical wells and horizontal pipes, to capture methane generated by the decomposition of organic waste. Under the standard methodology requirements, the captured gas must be combusted to convert potent methane into carbon dioxide, a gas with a significantly lower global warming potential. This specific project was designed to capture and combust gas generated from both legacy and non-legacy waste.

The Latrobe Valley and surrounding Gippsland area are historically known for heavy industrial zones associated with power generation, interspersed with grazing land and forestry operations. The region experiences a temperate climate with reliable rainfall averaging around 730mm annually. Local soils are typically acidic texture-contrast types, such as Sodosols or Chromosols, featuring loamy topsoils overlying heavy clay subsoils.

This project is notable for integrating electricity generation alongside standard flaring. Through specialized contractors Ennovo and Evo Energy Technologies, the site operates a 750 m³/hr high-temperature flare alongside a 900kW biogas generator. This system produces approximately 7,000 MWh of renewable energy annually, enabling the Latrobe City Council to offset around 80% of its electricity needs while mitigating local greenhouse gas emissions.