Historic coal mining city makes switch to 100% renewables

Queensland state government-owned energy generator and retailer CleanCo has inked a long-term deal to supply Ipswich City Council (ICC) with 100% renewable electricity.

The seven-year power purchase agreement, which commences on 1 October 2024, will enable ICC to power its major buildings and streetlights with renewable energy, marking a pivotal moment in the history of the former coal-mining town.

Ipswich, located immediately to the southwest of Brisbane and now home to about 250,000 people, was built on coal mining with the closure of the last underground coal mine in 1997 marking the end of nearly 150 years of mining in the city.

Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the agreement with CleanCo is a major milestone in the city’s sustainability journey and will significantly reduce its carbon footprint.

“Ipswich City Council is delighted to partner with CleanCo to deliver one of our major sustainability goals of 50% emissions reduction, by powering our major council buildings and thousands of streetlights with renewable energy,” she said.

“This contract will switch almost 30,000 streetlights over to renewable energy, while powering our major facilities such as council’s administration building, Ipswich Central Library and Art Gallery.”

The agreement will be supported by energy from CleanCo’s growing portfolio of renewable energy assets, including the Dulacca and Kaban wind farms, and the 570 MW Wivenhoe pumped hydro power station.

“A key part of council’s contract specifications during the open-market procurement process was that the renewable energy products driving this switch had to be based in Queensland,” Harding said.

CleanCo Chief Executive Officer Tom Metcalfe said the agreement is a testament to the utility’s mission to lead the decarbonisation of Queensland’s energy sector.

“Our investment in renewable energy projects across Queensland, including the 250 MW, two-hour Swanbank battery in Ipswich, means we are poised to provide reliable and sustainable energy that aligns with our customers’ goals and contributes to a clean energy future,” he said.

ICC Environment and Sustainability Committee Chairperson Jim Madden said Ipswich is just the third local council in Queensland to switch to 100% renewable energy, adding that the move will provide real benefits for the city.

“Ipswich is proud to be an increasingly sustainable city, and this new agreement continues our commitments to reducing our carbon emissions and delivering a climate-friendly future,” he said.

“This change will reduce council’s operational emissions by about 13,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.”

ICC is aiming to reduce organisational carbon emissions by 50% by 2026.

In 2020, ICC generated approximately 25,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent from its operations. Buildings and facilities accounted for 45.2% of council’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, streetlights 32.5%, and its fleet made up 19.5% of emissions.