Historic coal mining town switches to 100% renewable energy – pv magazine Australia

September 30, 2024 David Carroll

Queensland Government-owned power generator and retailer CleanCo has signed a long-term agreement to supply Ipswich City Council (ICC) with 100% renewable energy.

The seven-year power purchase agreement, which begins on October 1, 2024, will enable ICC to power its main buildings and streetlights with renewable energy, marking a key moment in the history of the former mining town.

Ipswich, located immediately southwest of Brisbane and currently home to approximately 250,000 people, was built on coal mining with the closure of the last underground coal mine in 1997, marking the end of almost 150 years of mining in the city.

Mayor of Ipswich Teresa Harding said the deal with CleanCo was a significant milestone in the city’s sustainability journey and would significantly reduce its carbon footprint.

“Ipswich City Council is delighted to be working with CleanCo to achieve one of our key sustainability goals of reducing emissions by 50% by powering our main council buildings and thousands of streetlights with renewable energy,” she said.

“As part of this deal, almost 30,000 streetlights will be switched to renewable energy, while also powering our major facilities such as the council administration building, Ipswich Central Library and the Art Gallery.”

The deal will be supported by energy from CleanCo’s growing portfolio of renewable assets, including the Dulacca and Kaban wind farms and the 570MW Wivenhoe pumped storage facility.

“A key part of the council’s procurement specifications during the open market procurement process was that the renewable energy products underpinning this change had to be manufactured in Queensland,” Mr Harding said.

CleanCo chief executive Tom Metcalfe said the deal was a testament to the utility’s mission to lead the decarbonisation of Queensland’s energy sector.

“Our investments in renewable energy projects across Queensland, including the 250MW Swanbank two-hour battery in Ipswich, mean we are ready to deliver reliable and sustainable energy that aligns with our customers’ goals and contributes to a clean energy future “- he added. he said.

ICC Environment and Sustainability Committee chair Jim Madden said Ipswich was only the third local government in Queensland to switch to 100% renewable energy, adding the move would provide real benefits to the city.

“Ipswich is proud to be an increasingly sustainable city and this new agreement continues our commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deliver a climate-friendly future,” he said.

“This change will reduce the council’s operational emissions by approximately 13,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.”

ICC’s goal is to reduce organizational carbon dioxide emissions by 50% by 2026.

In 2020, ICC generated approximately 25,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through its operations. Buildings and facilities accounted for 45.2% of the council’s emissions in Scope 1 and Scope 2, street lamps accounted for 32.5%, and the council’s fleet accounted for 19.5% of emissions.