(City of Newcastle)
Newy 87.8 FM – City of Newcastle councillors have voted to endorse the Newcastle Climate Action Plan 2026-2030, a roadmap of 77 actions aimed at achieving net zero emissions in the council's operations by 2030.
The plan ensures climate action will be considered across all City of Newcastle operations, including maintaining a 100% renewable electricity supply, expanding the battery network, and transitioning fleet, plant and equipment to electric or low emission alternatives.
City of Newcastle's Executive Manager Environment and Sustainability Marnie Kikken said reaching net zero would require an additional $42 million in investment over the next five years, with at least 50% to be sought through state and federal grants, commercial partnerships and other funding mechanisms.
The council has already secured $5 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency for a battery deployment program, including a 10MWh battery at the Summerhill solar farm and another 3.8MWh across 11 batteries at council facilities.
The plan also supports a Newcastle-wide transition to net zero by 2040, in alignment with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
A total of 239 submissions were received during public exhibition, with almost 80% agreeing climate action is a high priority, 83% supportive of nature-based solutions such as urban greening and tree planting, and more than 70% agreeing with the plan's science-based targets.
Ms Kikken said amendments were made to the plan based on community feedback to ensure it is seen as credible and deliverable.
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