Brooklyn Landfill Gas Project

Grid-connected, renewable distributed generation
Location: Brooklyn, VIC

Fuel source and supply

The Brooklyn project is located approximately three kilometres west of Melbourne on the Brooklyn landfill owned and operated by the Twigg Group. The plant utilises methane gas extracted from the landfill and supplied to generators through a pipeline network.

Landfill gas is a designated renewable energy source that is derived through anaerobic decomposition of organic waste matter.

Plant equipment and operation

The plant predominantly operates base-load subject to the availability of the landfill gas resource. The plant is expected to expand over the next 12 months and has a project life of 15 years.

Energy purchase and supply

Power is generated at 415 volts and stepped up to 22,000 volts for connection to AGL's local distribution network. The plant is a renewable generator under the Renewable Energy Act and is eligible to produce Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). The power and RECs produced by the plant are sold to Ergon Energy under a long-term agreement.

Environmental impact

Landfill gas, which is primarily a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, has a typical global warming potential about eight times that of carbon dioxide. Capturing what would otherwise be a fugitive emission and converting it to electricity results in greenhouse emission reductions of approximately 40,000 tonnes per annum.

In addition, another local environmental benefit is the reduction in odours from the landfill site.