Tamworth Regional Council was successful in getting a contract at the fourth Emissions Reduction Fund auction last week for its Forest Road Landfill Gas Project.
The project will see methane gas, generated by the Tamworth Regional Council’s waste disposal site, converted to carbon dioxide in a landfill gas flare.
Converting methane to carbon dioxide significantly reduces the greenhouse intensity of emissions from the landfill site.
Tamworth Regional Council manages and operates one of the most advanced waste management facilities in regional Australia which receives about 76,000 tonnes of waste annually.
“About 12 million tonnes of emissions come from waste each year in Australia. It is great to see Australian Councils playing their part to reduce these emissions,” Clean Energy Regulator chair Chloe Munro said.
This new project will capture landfill gas by collecting it through wells and pipeline systems.
The methane that is captured can then either be flared (converting the methane to carbon dioxide) to reduce emissions, or used for electricity generation, which is the long term goal for the project.
Anticipated to abate at least 120,000 tonnes of carbon emissions across seven years, the project will also reduce the risk of other landfill issues like odour.
Following four auctions the Emissions Reduction Fund has contracted more than 367 million tonnes of carbon abatement at an average price of $10.69.
There has been 22.2 million tonnes of contracted abatement from waste projects, which includes alternative waste treatment and source separated organic waste.
“After four auctions, we have added contracts in all sectors from land to mining. Some of the more innovative methods made in the last year have already featured in this auction, including the method used by Tamworth Regional Council,” said Ms Munro.
The Clean Energy Regulator will hold a fifth auction in April 2017, with details of that auction to be released early next year.
