Parkes Shire Council has just signed off on a new electricity contract with Iberdrola Australia, to supply its large sites and streetlighting from 1 January 2023. The electricity will be supplied from the Bodangora Wind Farm near Wellington in New South Wales. Council will also have the option to change to the Flyers Creek Wind Farm near Blayney when it becomes operational.
Mayor of Parkes Shire Cr Ken Keith OAM said, "We know that electricity prices are skyrocketing, and this new deal means Council has security in terms of pricing in the coming years. The eight-year contract with Iberdrola Australia is a huge achievement for Council, and we are excited that we have been able to secure such a great deal in the current electricity market."
Mayor Keith paid tribute to the staff of the Central NSW Joint Organisation who managed the tender process for the regional councils.
"We are very fortunate to have such a proactive joint-organisation with the capability to run complex tenders such as this, which required entering the electricity market and negotiating power purchase agreements."
Iberdrola Australia Managing Director and CEO, Ross Rolfe AO said, "We are delighted to be partnering with councils in the Central NSW and Riverina regions, enabling them to access reliable and affordable clean energy backed by our wind farms and flexible, fast-start assets.
"We have worked with the councils and communities in these regions for many years and we are very pleased to be deepening our partnership with them. These councils have supported not only our strategy, but also the Australian economy's green energy transition. Looking ahead, we see further opportunities to collaborate with our partners to create shared value for our stakeholders in regional NSW," Mr Rolfe added.
The new contract is for 50 per cent renewable energy, which means Council can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2,318t CO2e annually, while also helping to support new renewable energy development.
"We're all looking for ways to keep costs as low as possible and this contract allows us to do that while reducing our carbon footprint," said Mayor Keith.
Central NSW Joint Organisation Chair, Cr Kevin Beatty said, "The buying power of 16 Councils from the Central NSW and Riverina regions with a total combined electricity consumption of 36GWh per year is substantial.
"Collectively, the Central NSW region will source around 78 per cent of its electricity for councils' large sites and streetlighting from renewable energy under this deal. This is a huge win for the region," Mr Beatty concluded.
