Michaela Meade
Maribyrnong council is leading the way to emissions reduction, as part of a groundbreaking clean power partnership with other councils.
The council is one of 46 statewide to join the Victorian Energy Collaboration (VECO) , the largest ever emissions reduction project by local government in Australia.
Partner councils are pooling their energy contracts in a bid to make 45 per cent of all electricity they use sourced from renewables, cutting greenhouse emissions by 260,000 tonnes every year.
From July 1 this year, Red Energy will provide VECO with 240 gigawatts hours of clean power, equivalent to or removing the emissions from 90,000 cars or powering 48,000 homes every year.
The project is expected to reduce each of the council’s energy bills by up to 35 per cent, based on current costs.
Renewable energy will be provided by two wind farms in the state’s west – Dundonnell wind farm near Mortlake, which started exporting power to the grid in March 2020, and Murra Warra II wind farm near Horsham, which commenced construction September 2020 and will be fully operational by June 2022.
Maribyrnong mayor Michael Clarke said the council was “thrilled” to join the initiative.
“Taking significant steps like this is one of the many ways we are responding to our commitment to address the climate emergency – and the great news is, that this is not only reducing greenhouse emissions, it’s also saving money on our electricity bills, allowing us to provide additional support for our community in areas needed most,” he said.
Maribyrnong council will use renewable energy to power all of its electricity use, including for Footscray Town Hall building, the Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre, streets lights, libraries, and community centres.
The council’s involvement in VECO follows its acknowledgement of the climate emergency in 2019, which resulted in the Maribyrnong council climate emergency strategy 2021-25.
