Sydney Opera House marks World Environment Day with Renewable Energy Agreement

Sydney – Wednesday 5 June 2019. To coincide with the United Nations’ World Environment Day, the Sydney Opera House announced a number of sustainability achievements and projects, including the signing of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for renewable energy. The Opera House has signed an industry-leading Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with energy retailer Flow Power to invest its annual $2.4 million electricity spend in sourcing power from renewable power projects. Under the seven-year agreement, more than 85% of the Opera House’s yearly energy consumption of 16 gigawatt hours (equivalent to 2,500 households) will be matched with available supply from NSW wind and solar projects, including Sapphire Wind Farm in Glenn Innes and the Bomen Solar Farm under construction in Wagga Wagga, NSW. This agreement and other sustainability initiatives announced represent an important step forward in the Opera House’s long-term environmental strategy, highlighting both the progress and future commitments made by the World Heritage-listed building to reduce its impact and inspire greater environmental awareness. They include:

• Achievement of GBCA 5 Star Green Star rating.
• Artificial reef installed on Bennelong Point.

Ian Cashen, Sydney Opera House Executive Director of Building said: “The Opera House is Australia’s first heritage-listed building to commit to this innovative energy retail model, joining a growing number of high-profile organisations leading the way towards a low carbon future through investment in large-scale renewable projects. “This deal brings us another step closer to our long-term renewable energy goals and will deliver significant savings in operational costs over its seven-year period.” Sydney Opera House Environmental Sustainability Manager Emma Bombonato added: “Each of the initiatives are essential to the Opera House’s long-term sustainability strategy. The achievement of our 5 Star Green Star rating reflects the significant progress we have made in reducing our own environmental impact. At the same time, the installation of the artificial reef is an example of our broader commitment to protecting and preserving the environment in action. As we look to the future, innovative approaches such as PPAs are essential to secure long-term, sustainable renewable energy sources, so it’s exciting to be involved at the early stages of these projects.” Flow Power and Presync are both a Founding Members of the Business Renewables Centre Australia. To find out more, please see the full Media Release here.