In just four months, MidCoast Council has slashed (CO2e) emissions by 5,150 tonnes and captured more than 540,200 m3 of harmful biogas, the equivalent of removing 1,113 petrol cars off the road for a year.
The MidCoast Gas Project, a carbon cutting partnership between MidCoast Council and LGI Limited (LGI), was officially opened by MidCoast Council Mayor, Claire Pontin earlier today.
The project will deliver extraordinary long-term results for the environment and the local community, with MidCoast Council and local ratepayers receiving a share of the Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) revenue generated by reducing landfill gas emissions.
The partnership sees LGI recover biogas from Tuncurry Waste Management Centre, and Taree Waste Management Centre and reduce methane emissions via an enclosed flaring unit at both sites. This methane abatement approach is measurable, immediate and irreversible.
MidCoast Council Mayor, Claire Pontin said the project supports Council's commitment achieving net-zero emissions and 100 per cent renewable energy by 2040.
"The carbon cutting partnership reduces emissions, improves air quality, decreases the risk of odour, and creates a revenue stream for MidCoast Council," Cr Pontin said.
"Unflared methane biogas from our waste operations at Tuncurry and Taree account for 70 per cent of MidCoast Council's total greenhouse gas emissions.
"It's a problem LGI is helping us solve and is another example of Council's commitment to finding financially favourable solutions which reduce harmful emissions."
The project was built and commissioned at minimal cost to ratepayers, with LGI paying to design, build, operate, maintain, and upgrade the landfill gas flaring system at Tuncurry Waste Management Centre, and Taree Waste Management Centre.
LGI CEO, Jarryd Doran said the partnership with MidCoast Council will deliver long term, meaningful environmental outcomes.
"Phase one of the project is complete and included the installation of a new flaring units at Tuncurry and Taree, the drilling of 55 gas wells and connecting hundreds of metres of below and above ground pipes to the flares," Mr Doran said.
"It's clear MidCoast Council and the local community are serious about protecting the local environment and boosting the economy while transitioning to a sustainable future."
LGI works extensively with other local government areas in New South Wales to capture biogas, decrease emissions and reduce the state's carbon footprint. Small, regional landfill biogas projects, including the waste operations a Tuncurry and Taree, drastically reduce emissions for communities while helping local, state and federal governments achieve their emissions targets.
Partnerships with multiple New South Wales councils have allowed LGI to reduce (CO2e) emissions by more than 2.3 million tonnes, which is the equivalent of planting 38 million seedlings for the next decade.
Since 2013, more than 242 million m3 of biogas has been captured at 14 different New South Wales sites, with 430,000 ACCUs created.
LGI also has the technology to convert biogas extracted from landfills into renewable energy. In 2022, LGI transformed the Toowoomba Waste Management Centre site into a renewable energy power station. The power station converts methane from landfill into electricity, powering Toowoomba Regional Council's Waste Water Treatment Plant.
