The Shoal Bay Bioenergy Facility in Darwin has a 1.1-megawatt landfill-biogas-to-energy plant, which generates renewable electricity from landfill biogas.

The project was commissioned in 2005 by LMS Energy – market leaders in the bioenergy industry. The facility was a pioneering renewable energy project for the Territory because it was the first landfill-biogas-to-energy project in Australia’s tropical north.

Landfill biogas is generated through the decomposition of organic waste at the City of Darwin-owned Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility.

The biogas is made up of approximately 50 percent methane, a harmful greenhouse gas with a global warming potential of 28, which means it is 28 times more harmful than carbon dioxide.

Without the LMS project, the greenhouse gas emissions would be released into the atmosphere.

The project has notched up many significant achievements including:

• Extracting and combusting over 85 million cubic metres of landfill biogas

• Abating more than 800,000 tonnes of carbon (CO2e)

• Exporting over 121,000 megawatt hours of baseload renewable energy

• Providing enough energy to power 3500 local individual electricity users 24/7 each year (or 1400 homes 24/7)

• Saving 17 million litres of potable water each year when compared with typical coal-fired power generation sources

• Abatement from the Shoal Bay project represents nearly 7 percent of all of the Northern Territory’s emissions reduction efforts under the Federal Government’s Emissions Reduction Fund

LMS Contract and Client Manager Jason Dockerill says: “The Shoal Bay Bioenergy Facility is an important project for the local Darwin community as it extracts harmful greenhouse gases and turns them into renewable electricity that powers residents’ homes.”

Since 2005, LMS has invested more than $6.5 million into the project, which reduces more than 47,000 tonnes of carbon (CO2e) from being emitted into the atmosphere each year.

“Landfill-biogas-to-energy facilities, such as this one, are key pieces of infrastructure for modern, best practice landfills,” Mr Dockerill says.

“The Shoal Bay Bioenergy Facility was not only a first for the Northern Territory – it was one of LMS’ first projects Australia wide, highlighting the innovative, best practice approach the City of Darwin takes towards waste management.

“LMS is proud to be partnering with a Council that has identified carbon abatement and renewable electricity as important priorities for both current and future generations.”

To find out more, visit LMS Energy at lms.com.au and the City of Darwin at darwin.nt.gov.au