Ampcontrol signs deal to power industrial sites entirely with NSW wind and solar

New South Wales based energy engineering firm Ampcontrol has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with renewable energy retailer Flow Power to power its NSW sites with locally sourced wind and solar.

Ampcontrol said on Monday that for the first 18 months of the 10-year PPA the company would initially source GreenPower certified electricity and large scale generation certificates (LGCs) from the Karadoc Solar Farm in north-western Victoria.

The remaining 8.5 years of the PPA will see Ampcontrol take generation from both a wind and a solar farm in NSW to match its operating consumption. In all, along with the use of LGCs, the wind and solar projects will help to deliver 100% of Ampcontrol’s energy requirements each year. Exactly which solar and wind projects have been contracted to supply the power remains confidential, according to Flow Power.

Transitioning to 100% renewables will help Ampcontrol reduce its operating emissions by 25% compared to 2020 levels, a key step on the company’s goal of reducing operational emissions by 60% by 2030, on its way to net zero.

“We want to lead the global energy revolution, and that begins within our business,” said Rod Henderson, Ampcontrol managing director and CEO.

“Through changes made to our operational emissions, Ampcontrol can walk the talk in reducing our environmental impact and making more sustainable business decisions.”

The announcement comes almost a month after Ampcontrol partnered with Star of the South, the developer behind Australia’s most advanced offshore wind project as well as the newly proposed Destiny Wind offshore wind farm off the Hunted Coast in New South Wales.

While the collaboration between Ampcontrol and Destiny Wind is described only as exploring “innovation opportunities” and creating “local jobs as part of an offshore wind industry”, the two companies have nevertheless “identified some key collaboration areas from both a local and national perspective,” according to Destiny Wind acting project director, Erin Coldham.

“This partnership is an easy decision for us – we need local businesses and suppliers like Ampcontrol to be part of Australia’s offshore wind industry,” said Coldham.

“Offshore wind would continue the long history of industry excellence in regional areas like the Hunter – local experience and know-how will play a big role in advancing this new Australian industry.”