Moonee Valley and VECO deliver emissions reductions and savings
Moonee Valley City Council is one of 51 Victorian councils to have slashed their energy bills and reduced emissions through the Victorian Energy Collaboration (VECO), a joint 100 per cent renewable electricity contract begun in 2021.
Initiated by and facilitated with the Victorian Greenhouse Alliances, now led by Glen Eira City Council, VECO’s joint investment in Victorian renewables has delivered electricity 25 per cent cheaper for participating councils over the first 12 months.
Participating councils saved about 172,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in the first 12 months, which is equivalent to powering up to 35,000 homes or taking 66,000 cars off the road each year.
Moonee Valley Mayor, Pierce Tyson, said the project is helping to deliver on Council’s climate emergency declaration and MV2040 commitments.
“Council’s operations are already carbon neutral certified and our VECO investment is reducing our carbon footprint even further, as well as reducing operating costs. These savings can be redirected to other Council services.”
Council has saved an estimated $92,000 in energy costs and reduced carbon emissions by nearly 6,000 tonnes (about 52% of total emissions from operations) in the first year of joining VECO.
Two wind farms in Victoria provide the renewable energy — Dundonnell Wind Farm near Mortlake, which started exporting power to the grid in March 2020, and Murra Warra II Wind Farm near Horsham, which started exporting power in February 2022.
Mayor Tyson said, “This saving is a big step towards Council achieving our MV2040 target of reducing emissions from Council operations by 95 per cent by 2040. It’s a huge part of our efforts to address the climate emergency and achieving our mid-century Healthy City goals.”
“Our decision to be a part of VECO means that Moonee Valley is helping to lead Australia towards a low emissions future, that rewards smart collaboration and delivers efficiency dividends.”
The long-term contract with Red Energy will continue to protect councils from record high wholesale prices in the coming years and help to increase the stability of the State’s energy system.
Owned by Snowy Hydro, Red Energy is a 100 per cent Australian-owned and operated energy retailer based in Melbourne.