The new 2.1MW generator, owned and operated by Waste Gas Resources, will convert landfill methane to electricity for sale to state-owned energy retailer Synergy.

Western Australian Energy Minister Francis Logan said that with the launch of the new facility, landfill gas now supplied enough power for 33,000 homes in the WA capital.

Although the amount of energy produced by landfill generators in the state is modest, Logan said the technology provided a twofold benefit by using methane – which is much more greenhouse intensive than carbon dioxide – as a renewable energy source, in addition to the offset of fossil fuel power generation.

Logan said the Henderson landfill generator is expected to reduce greenhouse gases by over one million tonnes over the next 16 years.

“The facility serves as an example of environmentally friendly energy generation and also contributes to developing community awareness of the benefits of renewable energy,” he said.

The cost of the project has been estimated at $A3.8 million.

Logan said the WA Government was aiming to produce 6% of total electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2010.