The council claims the Darwin Renewable Energy Facility, commissioned in September, will produce enough energy to power about 1,000 homes and will save more than 46,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

The plant harvests methane, a greenhouse gas that is an inevitable by-product of landfill waste disposal.

“The undesirable effects of landfill gas are the odours, atmospheric emissions, increased fire hazard and slowing of revegetation,” the council says on its website.

“Primarily constituted of methane, properly tapped landfill gas can be a valuable resource for energy production. However, if allowed to escape into the atmosphere, it adds to the greenhouse effect.”

The plant will also reduce the leaching of toxic materials into the ground and cut offensive odours from the site.

Each year more than 96,000 tonnes of waste is deposited in the Shoal Bay site, more than a tonne for every resident.

The rubbish is now placed into waste cells to decompose and liquefy. From the waste cells, 93 wells have been constructed to collect the built-up methane gas by vacuum suction and deliver it via 2.5 kilometres of pipeline to a purpose-built power station.

The electricity produced is purchased by the Power and Water Corporation under a 10-year contract, then fed directly into the Darwin power grid.

Darwin City Council built the facility and is operates it in partnership with Landfill Management Services. LMS is an Australian-owned and operated company that operates several landfill gas plants around the country.