Landfill Gas Extraction and Flare System
In a first for the Mid North Coast, Coffs Harbour City Council is building a Landfill Gas Extraction and Flare System at the Coffs Coast Resource Recovery Park.
The system aims to generate enough energy from the gases present in the landfill to help power one of the waste processing plants at the Englands Road facility. By capturing this gas, landfill odours will be reduced, which will be welcomed by the site's neighbours. The new system will also cut the amount of harmful methane emissions released into the atmosphere from the landfill, by possibly as much as the equivalent of 17,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum.
Construction work begins on Monday, 31 August 2009, and is expected to be completed by December 2009.
Council has entered into a ten-year contract and lease agreement with AGL Energy Sales and Marketing Ltd for the company to build and operate the landfill gas extraction system.
Construction Plan
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The gas flare compound itself will be built on the eastern side of the landfill area on an existing bitumen hardstand between the Biomass Resource Recovery Facility and the ARVBEE recycling centre.
The construction of the system involves the installation of 45 gas extraction bores of up to 24 metres in depth, located 50 metres apart in a triangular network across the landfill area. In addition, underground gas flow pipes, gas mains and header lines will be installed to connect the bores to four wellhead stations and the gas flare compound.
Landfill gas typically comprises about 55% methane, about 40% carbon dioxide and other gases including water vapour, nitrogen, non-methane organic gases, odourous sulfides. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, one tonne of which is equivalent to 21 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Without an extraction system, these gases escape from the landfill causing odours, safety risks and greenhouse emissions.
