City to run entirely on renewables

THE region is turning green, with more energy to be provided by renewable sources than ever before.

The City of Ballarat and Golden Plains Shire are two of 46 Victorian councils to sign the Victorian Energy Collaboration, the largest local government emission reduction project in Australia, led by Darebin City Council.

Ballarat mayor Cr Daniel Maloney said he is thrilled to see the city join the collaboration, which will involve small and large sites and streetlighting being powered by Victorian wind farms for the next 9.5 years.

“Ballarat Council has an aim to be carbon neutral by 2025 so this landmark agreement is a major step toward that goal,” he said.

“This is one of the most important collaborations in our Council’s recent history, and with residents rating sustainability initiatives highly in Council Plan consultation, we believe it will be greatly welcomed by our residents and businesses.”

Also joining the project is Golden Plains Shire and mayor Cr Helena Kirby said the municipality is committed to reducing emissions and combatting climate change.

“Through joining the VECO project, council will move to using renewable energy to power 100 per cent of our offices, recreation facilities, community centres, streetlights and infrastructure,” she said.

The project is provided by Australian-owned company Red Energy and will deliver 240-gigawatt hours of clean energy across the 46 municipalities, equivalent to powering 48,000 homes with renewables.

“Given Red Energy is born and bred in Victoria, we are really excited to be a part of a project that is supporting Victorian councils, their ratepayers and two new Victorian wind farms,” CEO of Red Energy Iain Graham said.

“Our owner Snowy Hydro has been a leader in renewable generation for decades and Red Energy is delighted to partner with Victorian councils to provide a long-term energy contract that will enable councils to purchase renewable energy at a competitive price.”

The energy will be provided by both Dundonnell wind farm and Murra Warra II, which will both be fully operational in June 2022.