Govt to boost green power use

Canberra Times
Tuesday 5/5/2009 Page: 2

The ACT Government will, from July, buy 30% of its energy requirements from renewable sources. The move is projected to prevent 8834 tonnes of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere. Currently 23% of the energy bought by the Government comes from green sources. Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water Simon Corbell said today's ACT budget would include $3.2 million to lift that figure by 7 percentage points.

He said the move was equivalent to taking 2054 cars off ACT roads. "It was actually a Labor election commitment to increase the amount of energy purchase from renewable sources to 30% ," he said. "It's important because a government can help lead the development of renewable energy by creating more demand."

ACT Greens climate change and environment spokesman Shane Rattenbury said the plan would put ACT Government operations at the forefront of national renewable energy. "This is just the beginning - the first step along the path to 100% renewable energy use by the ACT Government, as outlined in the ALP-Greens agreement," he said.

As part of the parliamentary agreement for the current Assembly, Labor committed to a timetable for the purchase of 100% renewable electricity by the ACT Government. Mr Corbel] said the target of 100% was aspirational. "The parliamentary agreement commits us to continuing to purchase more renewable energy as a percentage and unlimitedly to achieve 100% by there is no time frame on the agreement," Mr Corbell said.

He said further increases in the ACT Government's use of renewable energy would depend on cost. But the agreement indicates the ACT Government's renewable energy use will be 50% by 2011. The amount of electricity used by the ACT Government in 2005-06 was about 141.8 million kWh and accounted for more than 5% of electricity sales in the territory.