Blue Mountains City Council is partnering with other local government leaders on a number of initiatives to help accelerate emissions reduction. 

Cities Power Partnership (CPP)

In 2018 Council joined The Cities Power Partnership, a free, national program created by the Australian Climate Council that brings together towns and cities making the switch to clean energy. 

Blue Mountains City Council was among the first 100 Councils to sign up to what is now Australia’s largest Local Government climate initiative, and was pleased to be involved in the first ever national summit to develop regional climate solutions run by the CPP.

Being a part of this initiative puts Council in a strong position to accelerate emission reduction through its Carbon Abatement Action Plan (CAAP).

As part of the CPP, Blue Mountains City Council has pledged to:

  • Install renewable energy (solar PV and battery storage on council buildings);
  • Roll out energy efficient lighting across the city;
  • Adopt best practice energy efficiency measures across all Council buildings, and support community facilities to adopt these measures;
  • Encourage sustainable transport use such as public transport; walking and cycling through Council transport planning and design; and
  • Set up meetings and attend events to work with other cities on tackling climate change.

Western Sydney Energy Program (WSEP)

Blue Mountains City Council has joined nine Western Sydney councils to launch the Western Sydney Energy Program (WSEP) which aims to reduce Western Sydney's emissions by 200,000 tonnes of CO2e per year. 

The Program is coordinated by the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) and focuses on four key areas: renewable energy, transport infrastructure, supporting communities and implementing best practice in energy planning and design for buildings and precincts.

Initial projects being developed under the Program include the development of a renewable energy PPA, a business support program and building design guidelines for councils. Additional projects will be scoped as the WSEP continues to roll out.

WSEP will build on and strengthen Council's existing Carbon Abatement Action Plan (CAAP), adopted in 2017 to identify and implement projects that demostrate reduced carbon emissions as well as reduced operational costs. 

These partnerships provide a great opportunity to join forces and share knowledge with other local government organisations committed to action on climate change, and are an important part of our journey to reduce carbon emissions and achieve net zero by 2025.

Media Release: Blue Mountains an active Cities Power Partner
Media Release: Council to host Cities Power Partnership Roundtable 
Media Rlease: Councils unite on energy