The City of Sydney in Australia has signed a power purchase agreement with retailer Flow Power to be 100% powered by renewable electricity, generated from wind and solar farms located in the state of New South Wales.
Sydney said the contract is valued at over A$60m (€37m) and is the biggest green energy deal of its kind by a council in Australia.
All the city’s operations – including street lights, pools, sports fields, depots, buildings and the historic Sydney Town Hall – will now all be run on clean power.
The switch is projected to save the City up to half a million dollars a year over the next 10 years, and reduce C02 emissions by around 20,000 tonnes a year.
About three-quarters of the power will be wind-generated and the remaining quarter by solar energy.
The projects supplying the energy are the 120MW Bomen solar farm in Wagga Wagga, the 270MW Sapphire wind farm near Inverell and the 3MW Shoalhaven PV project in Nowra.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the new agreement will generate jobs, support communities impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and create new opportunities in drought-affected regional NSW.
She said: “We are in the middle of a climate emergency. If we are to reduce emissions and grow the green power sector, all levels of government must urgently transition to renewable energy
“Cities are responsible for 70% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, so it is critical that we take effective and evidence-based climate actions.
“The City of Sydney became carbon neutral in 2007, and were the first government in Australia to be certified carbon neutral in 2011.
“This new deal will see us reach our 2030 target of reducing emissions by 70% by 2024, six years early.
“This ground-breaking A$60m renewable electricity deal will also save our ratepayers money and support regional jobs in wind and solar farms in Glen Innes, Wagga Wagga and the Shoalhaven.”
Flow Power chief executive Matthew van der Linden said the City’s commitment to achieving 100% renewable energy would help accelerate Australia’s transition to a net-zero carbon future.
“This is a landmark achievement for the City of Sydney. If organisations can follow in the City’s footsteps, a net-zero carbon future is achievable,” he said.
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