Jacks Gully Landfill Gas Project

Grid-connected,renewable distributed generation
Location: Narellan, NSW

Fuel source and supply

The Jacks Gully project is located at the Jacks Gully Waste Management Centre landfill site, which is owned and operated by the Waste Service of NSW. The plant utilises landfill gas extracted from the landfill site which is supplied to the generator 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 Caterpillar engine used at Jacks Gully was relocated from Energy Development 's Springvale landfill gas site in Victoria after the fuel availability declined.

Energy purchase and supply

Power is generated at 415 volts and stepped up to 11,000 volts for connection to Integral Energy'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 emissions reductions of approximately 40,000 tonnes per annum.

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