The City of Sydney Trigeneration Master Plan aims to create a network of Green Transformers to supply the City’s local government area with low carbon electricity and zero carbon heating and cooling.
According to the City, the Master Plan would cut electricity consumption, lower greenhouse gasses and reduce peak loads on the network by about 70 per cent.
The Property Council commends the City for its vision and leadership. We acknowledge the unprecedented level of public engagement with Sustainable Sydney 2030. We applaud the City’s initiatives to create a greener city through improved energy efficiency, increased use of renewable energy, the creation of walking and cycling tracks, and the recycling of waste and water.
However, we have raised significant concerns about the Master Plan in our submission to the City. Fundamentally, we are concerned that the City has given trigeneration too high a priority in its efforts to address climate change. Trigen is a good complementary measure, but the real solution is to focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions.
This is why we have recommended that the City reorder its priorities, and develop energy efficiency and renewable energy master plans first. By following this sequence, the City would avoid building unneeded capacity in the wrong locations and would maintain the reliability of existing infrastructure. A trigen master plan should be considered as the final piece in the jigsaw.
We also raised specific concerns with the Master Plan relating to proposals to modify the City’s DCP to reflect low carbon zones, introduce rate variation for owners connected to the decentralised network, and create easements over land to install the distributed energy network. In our submission, we argue that these would have unintended perverse outcomes that would undermine the City’s objectives.
The Property Council will continue to work constructively with the City to ensure that buildings continue to reduce their emissions and energy use, building owners are properly engaged in the City’s planning, and that alternative future energy solutions are not excluded.
More information
To read the City’s Master Plan, click here.
To read the Property Council submission, click here.
