Energy

Renewable Energy Action Plan

The Bathurst Regional Council Renewable Energy Action Plan(PDF, 961KB)  sets out Council’s strategy and action plan to minimise its dependence on fossil fuel energy sources. It has a primary focus on alternatives to grid-sourced electricity, but also considers and makes recommendations about transitioning away from natural gas and liquid fossil fuels.

The plan employs an energy management hierarchy which prioritises energy efficiency actions. The plan includes an electricity efficiency target of 15% in comparison with 2018-19 electricity consumption of 15,069 MWh.

The plan also sets the following renewable electricity targets:

• Renewable Target 1 - 25% of Council’s electricity consumption to be from renewable sources by 2023

• Renewable Target 2 - 50% of Council’s electricity consumption to be from renewable sources by 2025

A mid-term review of the plan will be undertaken in 2023. Section 9 of the plan details the actions identified to meet the stated energy efficiency and renewable electricity targets.

Electricity procurement for Council facilities

All Council facilities are now powered by 100% renewable electricity. A new Renewable Electricity Supply Agreement with Iberdrola (Australia) P/L for large sites and Street lighting commenced on 1 January 2023 and will supply 100% renewable electricity to these sites through until 2030. The electricity is supplied from the Bodangara Wind Farm near Wellington NSW, and the retirement of Large-Scale Generation Certificates associated with that project.

This follows the signing of an agreement with Shell Energy for supply of 100% renewable electricity for all of Council’s small facilities which commenced in October 2022.

These renewable electricity supply agreements will see Council exceed the renewable electricity targets of the Renewable Energy Action Plan which was adopted in 2020. Alongside Council’s continued work to improve energy efficiency and install more solar at its sites, the agreements will help Council reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by almost 10,000 tonnes of CO2e annually.

Renewable energy generation at Council Facilities

Council has a long-term program committed to increasing the proportion of renewable energy generated for use at it’s facilities. The current installations are detailed in the table below.