Council secures deal for 100 per cent renewable energy for facilities

MEDIA RELEASE 4 August 2020

Council has secured a contract for renewable electricity to power large sites and streetlighting by combining with ten other councils from the central NSW region and five councils from the riverina region in a joint procurement process.

Coordinated by Central NSW Joint Organisation, Council has entered into a Renewable Electricity Supply Agreement with Iberdrola (Australia) P/L to supply 100 per cent renewable electricity until 2030. The 100 per cent renewables will come from electricity supplied from the Bodangara Wind Farm near Wellington NSW, and the retirement of Large-Scale Generation Certificates associated with that project. There will be an option to change to the Flyers Creek Wind Farm, another Iberdrola project under construction near Blayney, when it becomes operational.

Mayor Robert Taylor said the contract will commence next year and will achieve zero emissions electricity for large sites and streetlights from the contract start date.

“This agreement has many advantages for Council and our community. It secures a clean energy supply for Council operations, supports investment in renewables in the central west, reduces Council’s reliance on fossil fuels, and importantly protects us from increasing price volatility in the electricity market,” he said.

Iberdrola Australia Managing Director and CEO, Ross Rolfe AO said we are delighted to be partnering with Councils in the central NSW and riverina regions, enabling them to access reliable and affordable clean energy backed by our wind farms and flexible, fast-start assets.

“We have worked with the Councils and communities in these regions for many years and we are very pleased to be deepening our partnership with them. These Councils have supported not only our strategy but also the Australian economy’s green energy transition,” he said.

“Looking ahead, we see many further opportunities to collaborate with our partners to create shared value for our stakeholders in regional NSW”.

Central NSW Joint Organisation Chair, Cr Kevin Beatty said the buying power of 16 councils from the central NSW and riverina regions with a total combined electricity consumption of 36GWh per year is substantial. Collectively, the Central NSW region will source around 78% of its electricity for Councils’ large sites and streetlighting from renewable energy under this deal. This is a huge win for the region” he said.

Signing of the renewable electricity contract will see Council exceed the renewable electricity targets of the Renewable Energy Action Plan which was adopted in 2020. Alongside Council’s continued work to improve energy efficiency and install more solar at its sites, this agreement will help Council reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by around 7,500 tonnes of CO₂e annually.

ENDS