Sydney, Jul 19 (IANS): Australia has started its first trial of generating gigajoules of biomethane from wastewater, which will see renewable biomethane support the energy demands of up to 13,000 homes.

The government of the New South Wales (NSW) state announced the trial on Tuesday, which has commenced at Sydney Water's Malabar Wastewater Resource Recovery Plant. It will deliver reliable and cleaner gas to Sydneysiders and help to reduce the carbon footprint of households, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The wastewater resource recovery facility will create approximately 95,000 gigajoules of biomethane from organic material in wastewater to supply gas to around 6,300 homes by the end of the year, with the capacity to double production by 2030," said NSW Minister for Lands and Water Kevin Anderson.

"This five-year pilot will put gas directly into the supply network and will also help industries across NSW meet their net-zero emissions targets, with the facility able to turn waste material into a new clean energy source."

Sydney Water's General Manager for Asset Lifecycle Paul Plowman said this project is expected to remove 5,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year, the equivalent of almost 2,000 cars off the road.

The first renewable gas products are due to be completed by the end of this year. They will be supplied to Sydney's network soon after.