Australia’s largest pork producer and the country’s leading methane abatement business are partnering to establish a nation-first renewable gas facility that will convert piggery effluent into renewable energy for South Australia.
LMS Energy is developing the Wasleys Renewable Natural Gas Facility at the SunPork piggery at Wasleys, north of Adelaide.
Announcing the cutting-edge facility at Bioenergy Australia’s Renewable Fuels Summit in Sydney, LMS Energy Co-Chief Executive Officer, James McLeay, said it signalled the arrival of renewable natural gas (RNG) as the missing link in Australia’s energy transformation to a net zero economy.
“This landmark project is pioneering the supply of RNG which will start replacing conventional natural gas in industry and electricity generation,” Mr McLeay said.
“Making renewable gas from agricultural effluent will create new revenue streams for farmers and make them more sustainable.”
Mr McLeay said the Wasleys project will capture and clean the gas emitted from the piggery’s effluent pond and upgrade it to biomethane – otherwise known as RNG.
“RNG is interchangeable with conventional natural gas, so it can be supplied directly into the existing gas grid, replacing fossil gas in all applications,” Mr McLeay said.
“The development of RNG will provide the missing piece needed to support renewable energy and storage.”
“RNG will drive jobs and investment in regional Australia. It’s a proven technology, ready to deploy and can fill many of the biggest gaps in decarbonising Australian industry and energy supply.”
SunPork Group currently operates five biogas facilities across its farm network, some of which provide electricity back to the farms via biogas generators. At the Wasleys RNG Facility, the biogas will be upgraded to RNG and fed into the gas grid, in a new partnership with LMS that represents an exciting new strategic model for deployment of biogas at other SunPork piggeries.
SunPork Group CEO and Managing Director, Dr Robert van Barneveld said, “the partnership with LMS represents a new strategic model to support biogas projects at our piggeries.”
“SunPork and LMS are value-aligned, both being family owned. Biogas is a niche industry, with significant capital investment required, high ongoing operating costs and additional resourcing with specialist skills required. Collaborating with LMS made sense to tackle a lot of these challenges,” he said.
“I am excited to be part of an Australian-first in the emerging renewable gas industry using agricultural effluent.”
“SunPork generates large volumes of piggery effluent – a valuable source of renewable energy. It is incredible to know our Wasleys piggery will create enough RNG to power around 2,000 South Australian homes.”
“SunPork’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions are its uncovered effluent ponds. To drive meaningful action in our emissions reduction program, we must tackle these emissions.”
“By covering our effluent ponds, we prevent methane from being released into the atmosphere, reducing our environmental footprint.”
“The project will displace conventional natural gas, reducing our reliance on fossil fuel resources, and provide residents of South Australia with a renewable natural gas source.”
“We’re proud to be doing our bit to contribute to the RNG industry and Australia’s renewable energy and emissions reduction targets.”
The project has received funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as part of ARENA’s Advancing Renewables Program. The project will be developed in stages, with Stage 1 expected to cost $10 million.
Construction of the Wasleys RNG Facility is expected to start around mid-2026 and will take around 12 months to complete.
ENDS