About the project
The landfill gas and energy systems at the Eastern Creek Renewable Energy Facility are a leading example of Property and Development NSW’s (PDNSW’s) Waste Assets Management Corporation’s (WAMC) innovative approach to supplying electricity to the grid while reducing greenhouse emissions from landfill gas.
The Eastern Creek Renewable Energy Facility annual production outputs currently include:
- 50,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable electricity exported to the power grid, enough to power approximately 6000 homes
- 279,000 tonnes of direct greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide equivalent) abated, the equivalent of taking approximately 112,000 cars off the road
- 110,000 litres of water saved.
Background
WAMC is responsible for the operation and management of nine closed landfill sites across NSW, including its Eastern Creek site located within the Blacktown City Council area. The landfill site received approximately 7 million tonnes of waste material over a 10-year period before closing in 2017.
WAMC is responsible for the management of the landfill gas generated from the buried and decomposing putrescible waste and aims to mitigate the impacts of the greenhouse gas emissions on the environment. This is achieved through the implementation of leachate extraction systems, gas wells, piping, air pumps and gas capture and recovery infrastructure such as gas flares and engines used in electricity generation.
This venture allows WAMC to offset significant carbon dioxide emissions each year and assists us to work towards the NSW Government’s target to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Next steps
WAMC will continue to operate the Eastern Creek Renewable Energy Facility for the next 15 to 20 years.
Frequently asked questions
What is the total amount of electricity generated at the Eastern Creek site?
The landfill produces around 50,000 MWh of electricity per annum. The renewable energy facility operates 24/7, 365 days per year and is only offline for routine service and maintenance.
How many homes can the renewable energy power per year?
The landfill produces enough renewable electricity to power 6000 homes each year.
What is the net impact of the site on the environment in terms of carbon abatement?
Maximising capture from the existing landfill biogas resource is critical to support emissions reductions.
The landfill prevented approximately 279,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere in 2021-2022. The project has been issued with over 1.4 million carbon credits and collected and combusted approximately 620 million cubic meters of landfill biogas.
How many landfill gas wells are installed at the site?
There has been over 160 gas wells and pipework installed at Eastern Creek since 2008 to collect and transfer the landfill gas to the power station. This is equivalent to over 5km of pipework buried within the landfill.
Who are the key stakeholders in the project?
Our stakeholders include the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), other waste management service providers (Veolia, GRL) and the local community.
The joint venture to operate and manage landfill gas collection and processing has allowed WAMC to meet and exceed its regulatory and environmental commitments, resulting in benefits to the local community and stakeholders through a reduction in odour-related issues.
Get in touch
For more information, email WAMC-admin@dpie.nsw.gov.au or call 1300 109 655.