Victorian water and sewerage services provider, Wodonga-headquartered North East Water (NEW) is getting 100% of its electricity from renewable resources, including solar, battery storage, and wind.
Solar installations at several sites supply renewable energy to facilities servicing 39 regional towns and 118,000 people, also feeding excess electricity back into the grid to offset other operational energy use.
The installations include a 3 MW solar farm at the Wodonga wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), a 100 kW carpark solar system at NEW’s Wodonga head office, located 320 kilometres northeast of Melbourne, a 40 kW solar array and 42 kWh lithium-ion battery bank at the Yackandandah water treatment plant and an off-grid solar and battery storage solution at Walwa water treatment plant.
Image: QA Electrical
Achieving 100% renewable energy aligns with the state-owned NEW’s commitment to sustainability and emissions reduction.
NEW Managing Director Jo Murdoch said by securing green electricity from retailers and investing in solar infrastructure NEW has delivered on its promise to power operations with clean energy.
“This is a significant achievement for North East Water and a testament to the hard work and innovation of our people,” Murdoch said.
“Reaching 100% renewable electricity not only reduces our carbon footprint but also helps us manage electricity costs and maintain affordable prices for our customers.”
Murdoch said the milestone is one part of NEW’s broader sustainability journey efforts, incorporating a major capacity upgrade at the WWTP that will significantly reduce carbon emissions.
“This project will also improve the reuse of waste to generate renewable energy, either to power the plant or supply the grid,” Murdoch said.
“Our team is also exploring the potential for solar and battery systems at other sites across the region.”
Image: North East Water
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