Coles to source more than 90pc of Qld electricity needs from CleanCo

FROM JULY 2022, Coles will source more than 90 percent of its Queensland electricity requirements from CleanCo, after entering into a landmark 10-year agreement with the state-owned clean energy generator and retailer.

Coles will purchase 400 GWh of electricity annually through the agreement. The Western Downs Green Power Hub, set to be Australia’s largest solar farm once built, and the MacIntyre Wind Farm, one of the largest wind farms to be built in the southern hemisphere, will supply three quarters of the Coles’ electricity requirements, with the remainder supported by CleanCo’s low emissions portfolio.

The partnership will reduce Coles electricity carbon dioxide emissions nationally by an estimated 20 percent or 240,000 tonnes annually*, which is the annual equivalent of taking 100,000 vehicles off the road^. It also secures the development of both projects, which together with CleanCo’s Karara wind farm, will create 800 local jobs in Queensland’s Western and Southern Downs.

Last year, Coles became the first major Australian retailer to commit to buying renewable energy through a 10-year power purchase agreement with global renewable power generation company Metka EGN, purchasing more than 70 percent of the electricity generated by three solar power plants in regional NSW.

Coles Group CEO Steven Cain said the significant increase in renewable energy is a major part of Coles’ commitment to be Australia’s most sustainable supermarket.

“We have already made changes throughout our business to use energy more efficiently, which has enabled us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 36.5 percent since 2009, while growing our team member base and store network,” Mr Cain said.

Coles chief sustainability, property and export officer Thinus Keeve said Coles was committed to purchasing renewable energy across the country.

“Long-term agreements like this are a great example of how we are able to reduce our energy costs, support the community and make a meaningful impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Mr Keeve said.

“The CleanCo and Metka EGN agreements are great examples of how we can grow renewable energy generation capacity in Australia because they give the developers the certainty they need to invest and we look forward to growing our partnerships with renewable energy providers in the future.”

CleanCo CEO Maia Schweizer said providing competitively-priced clean energy to Coles allows CleanCo to create growth and jobs in south-west Queensland associated with its 2025 goal of 1000 MW of new renewable generation.

“We are proud to partner with Coles and provide renewables-backed power for its Queensland sites under one contract,” Dr Schweizer said.

 

About the Western Downs Green Power Hub

The Western Downs Green Power Hub is located 22km south-east of Chinchilla and will connect to the electricity grid via a new overhead line to publicly-owned Powerlink’s existing Western Downs substation. Generation is scheduled for the first quarter of 2022. The project will generate enough energy to power about 235,000 Queensland homes.

About the MacIntyre Wind Farm

The MacIntyre Wind Farm is located about 50km west of Warwick and will connect to the electricity grid via a new overhead power line. Generation is scheduled for 2024. The project will generate enough energy to power about 700,000 Queensland homes.

 

* Estimated using market-based greenhouse gas emission accounting method with a residual mix factor of 1.08 TCO2e/MWh.

^ National Transport Commission, Carbon Dioxide Emissions Intensity for New Australian Light Vehicles 2019, June 2020 & 9208.0 - Survey of Motor Vehicle Use, Australia, 12 months ended June 30, 2018.

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