- Published:
- Wednesday 18 January 2017
Melbourne's tram network will be powered by a new large scale solar plant to be built in regional Victoria.
The Andrews Labor Government will run a tender to help build 75MW of new large scale solar farms, delivering $150 million in new capital investment and 300 new jobs.
Around 35MW of the new solar farms will be linked to Melbourne's tram network. The Labor Government will voluntarily surrender renewable energy certificates matching the amount of electricity used by all of Melbourne's trams.
This will result in a reduction of more than 80,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year.
An open tender will be run in the first half of 2017 to build Victoria's first large scale solar farms by the end of 2018.
This initiative keeps Victoria on track to meet its target of net-zero emissions by 2050.
For more information and updates on the Renewable Certificate Purchasing Initiative and associated tenders visit: http://delwp.vic.gov.au/renewableenergypurchasing
Quotes attributed to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio
“We will use our purchasing power as a large energy consumer to boost investment in renewables and create new jobs for Victorians.”
“We’re positioning Victoria as a leader in climate change, by reducing emissions and adapting to the impacts.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan
“We've got the biggest tram network in the world and we're powering it with renewables and creating local jobs."