Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has granted a Works Approval for a second biogas facility at the existing Melbourne Regional Landfill.
The facility will double the site’s capacity to destroy captured landfill gas generated by the decomposition of wastes within the landfill, by burning it to generate approximately 68,000 MWh of electricity each year.
Landfill gas contains methane, a key greenhouse gas, and the destruction of the landfill gas in the proposed facility would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 220,000 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) per annum at full capacity and generate enough electricity to power 15,000 homes.
In addition to standard environmental requirements, the Works Approval also specifies minimum exhaust stack heights, and requires one of the eight new electricity generators to be fitted with a device that measures and records the destruction of the methane gas and the resulting emissions.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The proposed facility is a mirror of the existing facility at the site which has been operating since 2006.
There were no submissions from the public during the Works Approval’s public comment period.
The Works Approval document is available online, at: https://engage.vic.gov.au/epa-works-approvals/landfill_ops_biogas
Works approvals are issued by EPA under the Environment Protection Act 1970. They are required for industrial and waste management activities that have the potential for significant environmental impact.
A works approval permits plant and equipment to be installed, the operation of which will result in:
• the discharge of waste to the environment
• an increase in, or alteration to, an existing discharge, or
• a change in the way waste is treated or stored.
