The Hyland Highway Landfill Gas Project has recently been extended by the Latrobe City Council.
The Council’s Sustainability and Environment team are focussed on reducing emissions, and with utility costs rising they have been looking into increasing generation of Council’s own power.
The landfill gas project extension will increase the biogas generator’s power generation capacity to power an average of 1,482 households. Previous capacity had been to power an average of 1,134 households.
Increasing power generation will save Council $252,000 a year in retail costs, it will also receive further revenue from carbon credits, secured through the Clean Energy Regulator.
Latrobe City Council Mayor, Councillor Kellie O’Callaghan, said she is proud that Council is a leader in the renewable energy space.
“We have received requests from private consultancies, State departments and other councils to visit our Hyland Highway Landfill Gas Project, to witness what can be achieved and learned from the project,” Mayor O’Callaghan said.
“The Gas Project will generate clean, low emission energy through utilising captured landfill gas, offsetting over 80 per cent of Council’s electricity needs.
“Harnessing gas and converting it to energy has the added benefit of providing a new localised energy source that can be placed back into the electricity grid.”
In 2022, the Loy Yang Landfill Gas Generator and small solar exports saved Council $746,000 in retail electricity costs, not including the savings of electricity used at the landfill.
This reduced Council’s emissions by an estimated 13,000t of CO²e a year.
Council is working towards net zero energy emissions through the delivery of new energy initiatives, efficiencies and offsets, tying in with the sustainable aspect of the Council Plan.
