2018-01-15 General Committee Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                 15 JANUARY 2018


Ordinary Meeting Minutes, 21 September 2017, Item 5, Page 18
That Council note the report by the Carbon Reduction Project Officer to the General Committee
Meeting dated 18 September 2017 providing a summary of the activities undertaken in
accordance with Council’s Zero Emissions Noosa Organisational Strategy.

Finance & Risk

Ongoing capital allocation will be required to continue to implement the energy efficiencies and
renewable energy which will reduce emissions and reduce the cost of Council’s electricity
identified in the ZEN Action Plan. Capital may also be required to implement emission reduction
initiatives recommended by the forthcoming Landfill Emission Reduction Strategy.

Capital will be required to offset Council’s residual emissions. The quantum of emissions to be
offset is dependent upon the implementation of emission reduction initiatives, particularly at the
landfill.

There is a risk that future Councils may not have the same appetite for emissions reduction as
the current Council. However, the financial savings achieved by these actions outlined in the
ZEN Action Plan achieve positive economic return, so it is unlikely that these projects would be
curtailed.

There is a risk that the identified projects may not achieve the emission performance expected.
This risk is considered low and is managed by the selection of accredited solar and lighting
experts through appropriate assessment and due diligence of the suppliers.

There is a risk that the current subsidies available on the solar PV systems will be withdrawn by
the Federal Government. This risk is mitigated by prioritising the installation of the solar projects
in the next 2-3 years to benefit from the current rebate schemes.

Technology related to energy efficiency and renewable energy is changing at a rapid pace.
There is a risk that the energy efficiency and renewable energy projects may be obsolete as new
technology becomes available. The savings that have been estimated as a result of these
projects will still be achieved, thereby allowing financial savings to be utilised on some of the
more experimental technology in the future.

The Cities Power Partnership is run by the Climate Council and funded through donations and
philanthropic sponsors. There is a risk that this program will not achieve continued funding.
Given this is a free program for participants the risk to Council is very low, Council is also leading
and implementing its own ZEN strategy and is therefore not reliant on the continued operation of
the CPP should it be discontinued.


Consultation

External Consultation - Community & Stakeholder

Discussions have been held with the following stakeholders to inform the ZEN Action Plan:
   Greenhouse and Energy Network Professional Officers Group (GENPOG)
   ERM Power




                                                                                    Page 114 of 135