Premier

Newstead Teams With Powercor To Go 100% Renewable

15 February 2016

Newstead has taken the next step towards becoming the first Victorian town to be powered by 100 per cent locally generated renewable energy.

Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio today visited Newstead, near Castlemaine, to mark the signing of a memorandum of understanding between energy company Powercor Australia and the community group driving the project, Newstead 2021.

It comes one year after the Andrews Labor Government announced a $200,000 grant to kick-start the Newstead eco-power project, which will transition the town to 100 per cent renewable energy via a community-scale grid.

The model will incorporate community ownership to help keep energy costs down and promote social equity.

Under the memorandum of understanding, Powercor will support the Newstead 2021 group by providing industry know-how such as understanding the town’s energy load profile, assessing the impact of local generation on grid stability and reliability, financial modelling, and other technical advice.

The $200,000 Newstead grant is part of the Labor Government’s work to encourage the development and storage of renewable energy.

Other initiatives include the $20 million New Energy Jobs Fund to promote investment and jobs in new energy technologies and the Renewable Energy Roadmap to supports the transition towards renewable energy power generation and storage.

The Government has also released a Guide to Community-Owned Renewable Energy for Victorian Communities, which helps local community groups develop renewable energy projects.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio

“Through our $200,000 grant, we are empowering the Newstead community to be the first town in Victoria to fully harness the benefits of locally generated and stored renewable energy.”

“We are creating new jobs and helping Victoria shift towards a renewable energy future with our $20 million New Energy Jobs Fund and Renewable Energy Roadmap.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards

“This is an exciting next step for the Newstead community and I congratulate the local residents who are driving this project.

“This is a great initiative that will see Newstead leading the way nationally on renewable energy.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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