Award win for sustainability (Media release)

Merri-bek City Council, along with 13 other leading organisations, has come away with the Government Award last night at this year's Premier's Sustainability Awards.

Underpinned by a belief in the power of coming together, the Melbourne Renewable Energy Project (MREP) marks the first time in Australia that a group of local governments, cultural institutions, universities and corporations have collectively purchased renewable energy from a newly-built facility.

Members have committed to purchase 88GWh of electricity per year from the yet-to-be-built Crowlands Wind Farm near Ararat under a long-term power purchase agreement. The agreement will enable owner/operator Pacific Hydro to progress financing and construction arrangements for the project.

Because the wind farm will generate more than the purchasing group’s needs, it will bring additional renewable energy into the market. The Crowlands Wind Farm will create more than 140 jobs during construction and eight ongoing maintenance jobs.

The MREP approach enables cities, corporations and institutions to take an active role in securing renewable electricity supply and to take action on climate change. It provides long-term price certainty and will be critical to partner organisations achieving their ambitious CO2 reduction targets.

Significantly, it also represents a replicable model for other projects around the world to follow.

12 October 2018