A City of Melbourne-led consortium is collaborating to drive new investment in renewable energy in the Australian city that is the capital of the state of Victoria.
The group includes the University of Melbourne, RMIT, National Australia Bank, NEXTDC, the City of Port Phillip, Moreland City Council, Federation Square, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Citywide and Bank Australia.
Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said the Melbourne Renewable Energy Project aims to support the development of a new renewable energy plant that will supply energy to the group at a competitive rate. “Diversifying our energy supply and supporting innovation is a must for the future of our city. You don’t get to be the most liveable city in the world without a strong focus on sustainability and prosperity,” the Lord Mayor said.
“Our group aims to purchase 120GWh of energy. That’s enough to power more than 31,000 households in Melbourne for a year. We expect this project will provide a major boost to employment within the renewable energy sector. Up to 140 jobs will be created in the construction phase and 12 ongoing jobs in operation and management of the plant.”
The group is preparing to go out to market and industry briefings for the energy sector will be held on 15 December 2015. Tender documents are expected to be released in the New Year and responses will be sought from new renewable energy projects that are shovel-ready and have planning approvals in place.
The City of Melbourne is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2020 and has a target to source 25% of the city’s energy from renewable sources by 2018. Currently, only 12% of Victoria’s electricity is derived from renewable energy.