'Bathurst Waste Management Centre Landfill Gas Upgrade Project

Bathurst Waste Management Centre Landfill Gas Upgrade Project is a landfill gas upgrade project located at the Bathurst Waste Management Centre in Orton Park, just south of the Bathurst township and Mount Panorama in New South Wales. It was officially registered in October 2023.

Landfill gas upgrade projects involve replacing or expanding an existing landfill gas collection system to capture and combust methane, a potent greenhouse gas generated from decomposing legacy and non-legacy waste. Standard requirements typically involve demonstrating that the new, upgraded system captures and abates more gas than the pre-existing baseline infrastructure.

The broader Bathurst region, situated roughly 200 kilometres west of Sydney, is primarily known for mixed agricultural land use including sheep and beef cattle grazing, cropping, and regional forestry, alongside the iconic Mount Panorama motor racing circuit. The area experiences a temperate climate with moderate, medium-level rainfall and features landscapes characterised by granite-derived soils, podzolics, and clay loams.

This carbon project was undertaken as a partnership between the Bathurst Regional Council and clean energy company LGI Limited to replace an older, failing gas system that was originally built in 2007. The major upgrade involved drilling 38 new gas wells and installing a high-temperature flare capable of combusting 1,000 cubic metres of gas per hour. Commissioned on March 21, 2024, the project is a critical component of the council's aggressive goal to cut local emissions by 60% by 2035, especially since landfill operations had previously ballooned to account for nearly 89% of the council's total carbon footprint. To date, the project has successfully captured over 2.4 million cubic metres of biogas and has already been issued 25,810 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Future phases aim to expand the gas well network and utilize the captured methane to power a V20 engine and turbine, potentially generating renewable electricity for up to 1,500 local homes.