Wasleys Renewable Gas Project

LMS Energy and SunPork Group are pleased to announce a groundbreaking first for renewable energy in Australia, partnering on a project to boost production of renewable natural gas.

Together, the companies have developed the Wasleys Renewable Gas Project. Construction of the Wasleys RNG Facility is expected to start around mid-2026 and will take around 12 months to complete.

About The Project

The Wasleys Renewable Natural Gas Facility will capture and clean the biogas from the piggery’s effluent pond, producing a sustainable supply of renewable natural gas for South Australia.
This will be Australia’s first commercial-scale facility of its kind, generating enough renewable natural gas to meet the needs of an estimated 2,000 South Australian homes.
Biogas production at piggeries isn’t new. The innovation lies in cleaning and upgrading the biogas to biomethane, then feeding the biomethane into the natural gas grid for everyday use.

About The Project

The Wasleys Renewable Natural Gas Facility will capture and clean the biogas from the piggery’s effluent pond, producing a sustainable supply of renewable natural gas for South Australia.
This will be Australia’s first commercial-scale facility of its kind, generating enough renewable natural gas to meet the needs of an estimated 2,000 South Australian homes.
Biogas production at piggeries isn’t new. The innovation lies in cleaning and upgrading the biogas to biomethane, then feeding the biomethane into the natural gas grid for everyday use.

How It Works

1

Piggery effluent will be pumped directly from the piggery sheds into a large, purpose-built covered pond.

2

The cover will capture all biogas released from the effluent.

3

The biogas will be cleaned and upgraded to biomethane.

4

The biomethane will be fed into South Australia’s natural gas supply, ready for everyday use.

5

Households in South Australia will be able use this biomethane like conventional natural gas. It can power cooktops, water heaters and gas fireplaces.

Concept design of the projects biogas upgrader

Who's Involved

LMS Energy

Australia’s leading methane abatement and bioenergy company, specialising in converting agricultural and other organic material waste streams into renewable energy. As Australia’s largest participant in the Emissions Reduction Fund, LMS Energy’s 70 biogas projects collectively combust methane equivalent to avoiding more than 5 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year.

SunPork Group

As Australia’s largest pork producer, SunPork Group manages significant volumes of piggery effluent, which is a valuable renewable energy resource.

ARENA

This project received funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as part of ARENA’s Advancing Renewables Program.

SunPork Group

As Australia’s largest pork producer, SunPork Group manages significant volumes of piggery effluent, which is a valuable renewable energy resource.

LMS Energy

ARENA

This project received funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as part of ARENA’s Advancing Renewables Program.

Community & Economic Benefits

Increase regional jobs and supports local supply chain.

Demonstrates commercial viability of agricultural biomethane.

Contributes to Australia’s renewable energy and emissions reduction targets.

Environmental Benefits

The project demonstrates circular economy principles in livestock effluent management, taking a typical biogas facility one step further and feeding the renewable natural gas into the conventional natural gas grid.
SunPork’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions are its uncovered effluent ponds. By covering these ponds, SunPork prevents biogas from being released into the atmosphere. This significantly reduces the potential for global warming from SunPork’s
operations.
The project will displace conventional natural gas, reducing our reliance on fossil fuel resources, and provide residents of South Australia with an option for a renewable gas source.

Environmental Benefits

The project demonstrates circular economy principles in livestock effluent management, taking a typical biogas facility one step further and feeding the renewable natural gas into the conventional natural gas grid.
SunPork’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions are its uncovered effluent ponds. By covering these ponds, SunPork prevents biogas from being released into the atmosphere. This significantly reduces the potential for global warming from SunPork’s
operations.
The project will displace conventional natural gas, reducing our reliance on fossil fuel resources, and provide residents of South Australia with an option for a renewable gas source.

FAQ's

What is piggery effluent?

Pig farms produce manure, usually in liquid form called piggery effluent.

Piggery effluent, like other natural or organic waste, is a rich source of renewable energy. energy.

What is biogas?

Piggery effluent is stored on farms in large pond systems. When it breaks down, piggery effluent produces a gas called biogas.

What is biomethane?

Raw biogas released from the ponds, is dirty and full of impurities. This gas can be captured, cleaned and upgraded to biomethane, a renewable natural gas and sustainable fuel source to generate energy.

Biomethane can be used by households just like natural or LPG gas for cooking, heating, and hot water. It can also be used for commercial or industrial applications.

What is global warming potential?

Global Warming Potential (GWP) is a standard measure that compares the heat-trapping strength of greenhouse gases over 100 years, using carbon dioxide as the baseline.

GWP shows how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere compared with the same amount of carbon dioxide.

Biogas from piggery effluent is largely made up of a combination of greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄).

The GWP shows us that methane is much more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat. Where:

- Carbon dioxide:GWP = 1
- Methane: GWP ≈ 28 times more than carbon dioxide

This means 1 tonne of methane warms the planet about 28 times more than 1 tonne of CO₂ over 100 years.

Capturing methane from piggery effluent (via a covered pond), turns a powerful greenhouse gas into energy, cutting its warming effect compared with letting it escape to the atmosphere.

This Project received funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as part of ARENA’s Advancing Renewables Program

The views expressed herein are not necessarily the views of the Australian Government, and the Australian Government does not accept responsibility for any information or advice contained herein.