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WM New Zealand Achieves Major Renewable Energy Milestone

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WM New Zealand has reached an important milestone in its commitment to creating renewable energy from landfill gas. Across our landfill and energy parks, we have now generated more than 2.5 million megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity from landfill gas.

That’s roughly enough to power every home in Wellington for an entire year—a significant achievement for renewable energy generation in Aotearoa.

But this milestone represents much more than a number on a meter. It reflects years of continuous improvement, smart engineering, and the hard work of the people who operate our energy plants safely, reliably, and with purpose.

Energy production across WM New Zealand sites

Redvale

Redvale - 1,660,852 MWh

Redvale Landfill & Energy Park is Auckland’s largest renewable energy generator, transforming waste into electricity while operating as a modern, fully engineered landfill.

Whitford

Whitford - 644,334 MWh

Whitford Landfill & Energy Park provides safe, engineered waste disposal for the Auckland region, supported by strong environmental controls and long‑term land stewardship.

KateValley

Kate Valley - 202,055 MWh

Canterbury's Kate Valley Landfill & Gareth James Energy Park is a world‑class engineered landfill and energy park designed to protect the environment while producing renewable electricity for the region.

Tirohia

Tirohia - 45,345 MWh

Located in the Waikato region near Tauranga, Tirohia Landfill manages regional waste responsibly while generating renewable energy from captured landfill gas.

Generation Manager Cawood McCall says every megawatt hour generated from landfill gas is energy that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. “By capturing and converting landfill gas into electricity, our teams are reducing greenhouse gas emissions while creating a reliable source of renewable energy for homes, businesses, and local communities,” he says.

The people behind the power

Cawood’s own journey reflects the depth of expertise across WM New Zealand. Beginning as a gas technician 12 years ago, he now leads a team of around 20 people supporting the Whitford and Redvale sites, alongside dedicated specialists at Kate Valley and Tirohia.

Keeping these plants performing at their best takes careful monitoring, strong maintenance practices, and constant attention to detail. Technicians, operators, engineers, and support teams all play a crucial role in ensuring safe and consistent energy generation.

A closer look at site performance

Each landfill has its own operational story:

  • Tirohia: Gas generation here reflects the site’s stage of life. As the landfill nears final capacity and lateral space becomes limited, several gas wells have been temporarily disconnected to allow safe, continuous landfilling in line with the approved final landform.
  • Redvale: Generation remains strong, with gas output at peak levels. Kate Valley and
  • Whitford: Energy output at both sites is currently limited by grid capacity, with upgrade work planned to unlock further potential.

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