ACT leads Australia with 100 per cent renewable electricity target achieved

The Australian Capital Territory has achieved and maintained 100 per cent renewable electricity sourcing — the first and only Australian jurisdiction to reach this milestone — through a combination of contracted large-scale renewable generation, rooftop solar, and the Renewable Energy Certificates that formalise the territorial government's clean energy procurement. The achievement positions the ACT as a global leader in urban renewable electricity transition and provides the territory with energy cost certainty that is insulated from fossil fuel price volatility.

The ACT government's renewable energy strategy used reverse auction procurement to contract large-scale wind and solar projects in NSW and Victoria, with the contracted generation producing renewable certificates that the territory uses to offset the ACT's electricity consumption. The competitive procurement model delivered renewable electricity at costs that were, over the contracts' term, competitive with or below conventional electricity, defying the prediction of renewable energy critics who argued the transition would inevitably raise energy costs.

The territory's clean energy achievement has generated significant business interest, with companies seeking to locate their Australian operations in the ACT partly on the basis of renewable electricity sourcing that allows them to meet their own corporate sustainability commitments without the need to procure renewable certificates separately. The ACT government has been explicit in marketing this advantage to prospective business investors.

The next phase of the ACT's clean energy strategy focuses on transport electrification and the decarbonisation of gas used in space heating and cooking, with incentives for electric vehicle adoption and electrification of residential and commercial heating systems that will extend the renewable achievement from electricity to the territory's full energy footprint.

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