Renewable electricity purchase agreement puts City on track

16 December 2021

The endorsement of a landmark three-year, renewable electricity Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) has put the City of Stirling on track to meet its interim sustainable energy targets.
 
The City has joined forces with more than 40 WA local governments and WALGA to develop a joint buying group, collectively achieving the first joint renewables and carbon offset aggregation project of its kind in Australia to be authorised by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
 
Mayor Mark Irwin said renewable energy from the PPA can be sourced from the following wind farms: 222 MW Collgar, 35.4 MW Albany and 79 MW Emu Downs.
 
“The City of Stirling is excited to be playing a constructive and collaborative role in leading the local government sector toward ambitious emissions reductions targets and de-carbonisation,” he said.
 
“The PPA includes a new contract with Synergy for three years from 2022-25 for sites using more than 50,000 kWh per year*, which represent around 75 per cent of the City’s total electricity usage.
 
“The fixed electricity price within the contract will generate expected future savings of three per cent for three contract years as well as enable the City to reach its renewable electricity target of 50 per cent renewable electricity provision by 2025.
 
“This agreement puts further meat to the bones of our comprehensive climate action plan, representing 29 per cent of our renewable energy goal, with the remaining 21 per cent coming from our own solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation.”
 
The PPA will enable to the City to reduce greenhouse gases emissions by 16 per cent by 2025 and 46 per cent by 2030, a significant component of the City’s 70 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030.
 
Mayor Mark Irwin said the City’s actions were in line with the Paris Agreement and COP26 communiques that speak to a need to take bold actions by 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.
 
“If the City of Stirling was a country, our 70 per cent 2030 target would be one of if not the strongest in the world. The UK has pledged to reduce emissions 63 per cent, Germany by 53 per cent, the US by between 50-52 per cent, the European Union by 51 per cent, Canada by between 40-45 per cent), Japan by 44 per cent, and Australia by between 26-28 per cent (whilst forecasting closer to 30-35 per cent).**
 
“Given the global nature of this issue, the City of Stirling is taking a very pragmatic, methodical approach, developing a comprehensive suite of actions, initiatives and programs that seek to conserve our natural environment, combat climate change, advocate for greater action and ensure we play our part to address the serious challenges we face.”
 
Further plans to escalate solar generation and the cost savings associated with those procurements will be presented to Council in early 2022.

* A kilowatt (kW) is 1000 watts. A watt-hour (Wh) is a unit that measures the amount of electrical energy used over a period of time. A kilowatt hour (kWh) is 1000 watt-hours.

**  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-03/will-australia-meet-and-beat-2030-emissions-target/100568416. The City of Stirling’s SEAP (2020-2030) relates to the corporate emissions of the City of Stirling itself as a Local Government Authority

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