Garbage to gas to electricity: power plant planned for dump

Sunshine Coast News

The rubbish dumped at the Nambour tip could soon be powering 1600 homes.

LMS Energy is building the Sunshine Coast’s second landfill biogas bioenergy power plant at the Nambour Resource Recovery Centre on Cooney Road, Bli Bli.

The power plant will convert the biogas produced from the decomposition of waste into electricity that will be put back into the grid, as already happens at the Caloundra Waste Recovery Centre.

Sunshine Coast Council deputy mayor Maria Suarez, who holds the Environment and Liveabilty Portfolio, said the new facility would further help reduce the Sunshine Coast’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“The Nambour Bioenergy Facility will help to prevent these greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere through a process that destroys the methane whilst creating renewable energy,” Cr Suarez said.

“This is another step towards council’s goal to transition to a circular economy to manage the region’s waste.”

LMS Energy co-chief executive officer Matthew Falzon said decomposing waste produced landfill biogas, comprising methane and other gases.

Mr Falzon said the gas was collected through a series of pipes and currently “destroyed by flare”, but would soon be put through an engine to produce renewable energy.

“The new 1MW Jenbacher engine will generate approximately 9000 megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable electricity each year – enough to power around 1600 average Queensland homes annually,” Mr Falzon said.

“The renewable energy generated at the facility will be transferred to the electricity grid to power homes and businesses.”

Mr Falzon said the facility would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 56,000 tonnes each year – the equivalent of removing 22,000 cars from Queensland roads.

LMS Energy, which will bear all of the costs for the bioenergy plant, has the rights to the biogas generated by the landfill until 2041.

It is responsible for ensuring any greenhouse gases are adequately destroyed or safely converted during the renewable energy process.

The Nambour bioenergy facility is expected to be operational next year.

LMS built and designed the Caloundra Renewable Energy Facility on Pierce Avenue, Bells Creek, which was launched in November 2020.

Mr Falzon described LMS Energy projects as a win-win for councils, ratepayers and generations to come.

“At LMS Energy, it’s our mission to protect the environment from the impact of waste – turning environmental challenges into sustainable solutions,” he said.

“Even if landfills stop receiving waste tomorrow, they will still produce emissions for decades to come.

“Methane abatement is an important climate strategy to reduce the impact of this waste.”

Cr Suarez said managing energy, waste and natural resources sustainably was vital for a thriving community.

“We all need to transition to cost-effective, renewable resources and low-carbon energy, and it’s great to see this waste become a resource,” she said.

“Soon we will be feeding more renewable energy into the electricity grid and further reducing the Sunshine Coast’s greenhouse gas emissions.”

Mr Falzon commended the council’s pursuit of circular economy ideals at the Nambour Resource Recovery Centre.

“We have been watching with amazement the recent transition of the Nambour Resource Recovery Centre, with council demonstrating true environmental and economic leadership in turning this facility into a circular economy hub that residents should be proud of,” he said.

The project will be registered with the Emission Reduction Fund and will receive Australian Carbon Credit Units, which are sold via the Clean Energy Regulator.