New electricity contract to reduce Council emissions

Published on 09 August 2022

Cowra Council has secured a new renewable electricity contract with Iberdrola Australia to supply its large sites and streetlighting from 1 January 2023. Coordinated by Central NSW Joint Organisation, the electricity will be supplied from the Bodangora Wind Farm near Wellington NSW, and Council has the option to change to the Flyers Creek Wind Farm near Blayney when it becomes operational.

“We’ve all read in the news in recent months that electricity prices are skyrocketing, and this new deal means Council can have price certainty in the coming years. The eight-year contract with Iberdrola Australia is a huge achievement for Council, and we are excited that we were able to secure such a great deal in the current electricity market,” said Mayor of Cowra, Cr Bill West.

“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,” said Iberdrola Australia Managing Director and CEO, Ross Rolfe AO.

“These councils have supported not only our strategy but also the Australian economy’s green energy transition. Looking ahead, we see many further opportunities to collaborate with our partners to create shared value for our stakeholders in regional NSW,” Mr Rolfe continued.  

“The new contract is for 50% renewable energy which not only means Council can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 1034 CO₂e annually, but we’ll also be helping to support new renewable energy development. We’re all looking for ways to keep costs as low as possible and this contract allows us to do that while reducing our carbon footprint”, said Cr West.

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.

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