Council endorses its involvement in electricity procurement process

With the current contracts set to expire on December 31, 2022, the process is under way to procure electricity for large sites and streetlighting for a new contract commencing on January 1, 2023.

The process has commenced early to allow flexibility of timing in going to the market, a second important price determining factor as the price of electricity in the wholesale market fluctuates across short timeframes.

The majority of member councils of the CNSWJO have been procuring electricity collaboratively for more than 15 years, which has provided substantial cost savings to members because one of the key determinants of price is load volume.

Bathurst joined the collective procurement process in 2017.

Council has a target to source 50 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025 and, as part of the current procurement, all other participating CNSWJO councils have also committed to a minimum 50 per cent renewable electricity where the pricing is lower than the existing contract prices.

READ ALSO: Fleet is council's biggest challenge in renewable energy plan

The procurement process does not include most "small market" sites, the contract for which also expires at the end of 2022.

Presync, the third-party advisor engaged by the CNSWJO, has recommended that the balance of small sites are added to the NSW Government Procurement contract for the Supply of Electricity for Small Tariff Sites.

This is considered a cost effective option.

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