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Lucas Heights I

Waste power plant in New South Wales, Australia. Approximate location -34.0293, 151.0021.

WasteNew South WalesAustraliaCO₂ modelled

Lucas Heights I is a 5 MW waste power plant in New South Wales, Australia. It is operated by Energy Developments LFG (NSW) Pty Ltd. Based on reported annual generation of 14 GWh, it can supply roughly 4.0k homes. It ranks #430 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Its modelled annual emissions are 31,596 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 7.4k cars driven for a year. In context, the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

5Legacy source-record capacity
14GWh reported / yr
4,000homes powered
31,596t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000037.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLucas Heights I WRI
CountryAustralia · New South Wales WRI
Coordinates-34.0293, 151.0021 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity5 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEnergy Developments LFG (NSW) Pty Ltd WRI
GWh reported / yr14 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions31,596 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#430 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#11 of 50 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.93× · 3 MW median · 50 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent4,000 calculated from reported generation
Climate16.9°C · HDD 785 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 40/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 5 MW, Lucas Heights I is well above the median waste plant in Australia (3 MW). Waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste to generate electricity and heat, cutting landfill volume while recovering energy from residual waste.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

~31,596 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

7.4kpassenger cars driven for a year
4.1khomes' yearly energy use
527ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2013: 31 GWh20132014: 23 GWh20142015: 23 GWh20152016: 15 GWh20162017: 16 GWh20172018: 14 GWh201831 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Energy Developments LFG (NSW) Pty Ltd.

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 34.0°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

16.9°Cannual mean temp
785heating degree-days (base 18°C)
362cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
90 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 21 °CJF: 22 °CFM: 20 °CMA: 18 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 12 °CJJ: 12 °CJA: 12 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 17 °CON: 18 °CND: 21 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 68% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 24/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
40/100environmental-severity index
10.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
44 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #11 largest waste power plant of 50 in Australia by capacity.

Australia has 50 waste power plants in this dataset, together about 189 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -34.0293, 151.0021 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Lucas Heights I?

Lucas Heights I is a 5 MW source-record waste power plant in New South Wales, Australia.

How much electricity does Lucas Heights I generate?

Lucas Heights I generates about 14 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Lucas Heights I power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 4,000 homes.

Who operates Lucas Heights I?

Lucas Heights I is operated by Energy Developments LFG (NSW) Pty Ltd.

How much CO₂ does Lucas Heights I emit?

Lucas Heights I has modelled emissions of about 31,596 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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