Qunaba Landfill gas project (Revoked)

The Qunaba Landfill gas project (Revoked) was a landfill gas project located at the Qunaba Waste Management Facility, approximately 10km east of Bundaberg in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland. Registered by LGI Limited in December 2023, the project was designed to install a new gas collection system to capture and combust methane generated from legacy and non-legacy waste at the site. However, the project was voluntarily revoked under section 30 of the CFI Rule just one year later, in December 2024, meaning it is no longer an active participant in the ACCU scheme.

The project operated under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology incentivizes the installation of flaring or electricity generation systems at landfill sites to prevent methane, a potent greenhouse gas released by decomposing organic matter, from entering the atmosphere. By capturing this gas and combusting it, the methane is converted into carbon dioxide, which has a significantly lower global warming potential. To earn credits, proponents must prove that the abatement is additional to what would have occurred under business-as-usual regulatory requirements.

The facility is situated in a region characterized by a sub-tropical climate with high, summer-dominant rainfall averaging around 1,100mm annually. The surrounding landscape of the Bundaberg region is famous for its rich, red volcanic soils (ferrosols), which heavily support the local sugarcane and macadamia industries. While the project site itself is a dedicated waste management facility, the broader Qunaba area reflects this agricultural heritage, with its name historically derived from the "Queensland National Bank" which supported the local sugar mill.

LGI Limited, the proponent, has a long-standing partnership with the Bundaberg Regional Council, successfully operating biogas recovery systems at the Council's larger Cedars Road and University Drive landfills. Public records indicate that LGI had been exploring the feasibility of expanding their carbon abatement technology to the smaller Qunaba facility as early as 2021. The revocation suggests that after registering the project, LGI may have determined that a standalone carbon project at this specific site was not commercially viable or operationally suitable at the time.