Access the AGL submission here: AGL Submission on Floor Price Mechanism – 120209 and  Attachment A – Submission on Floor Price Mechanism – 120209 v2

AGL has been serving the Australian community for 175 years and we are always looking for opportunities to make positive contributions in the areas in which we operate. In the mid-north SA region, we’ve made annual contributions to worthy community organisations and events for the past six years.

This year, contributions totalling $67,000 were made to recipients such as The Burra Community School, Mt Bryan Soldiers Memorial Hall and the Hallett Community and Sports Association.

Project Manager Tim Knill delivered cheques to the successful applicants in the AGL Burra Information Centre.

“The cheque handover ceremony is an annual highlight for me. It’s great to see the smiles on the faces of the recipients. Some are even brought to tears by the gesture.”

AGL has made contributions of around $240,000 under its Community Fund program to date.

According to the report, “A handful of companies appear to be performing very well, with 9 of the 50 scoring 70% and above. These companies are starting to recognise and communicate the importance of environmental, social and governance matters to their core business. Notably, however, 30 companies in the ASX 50 were assessed as having reporting that was less than 50% integrated. The poorest-performing company achieved a score of only 8%.”

Pleasingly, AGL was listed by the report as one of the top 10 performing companies (based largely on the information published in our 2010 sustainability and annual reports.

The Net Balance / ACCA Report was launched on Monday in Net Balance’s offices, with an interesting presentation from Net Balance Director, Ro Coronos, and a panel discussion with representatives from Stockland, GPT and Westpac.

http://afr.com/p/opinion/levelling_the_high_cost_of_peak_B0qQ4CBY08R5Gt73K4ILdK

Accompanied by AGL CEO Michael Fraser, Meridian Australia CEO Ben Burge and Ditlev Engel, CEO of the Danish company Vestas which is providing the 140 wind turbines at Macarthur, HRH Prince Frederik delighted local community members, schoolchildren and media with his friendly and open style.

The visit was part of the Crown Prince’s trade mission to Australia focussing on renewable energy with his Tasmanian wife, Crown Princess Mary, who was busy with other duties and did not attend Macarthur. During the formal part of the Macarthur visit, Michael Fraser acknowledged the special relationship between Australia and Denmark going back to the earliest days of our imaginings of what would eventually become Australia’s most famous man made icon, the Sydney Opera House.

“Ever since Jorn Utzon designed our iconic Opera House, Danish skills in design have been well known here in Australia. And Denmark has led the way in wind turbine development for many years,” said Michael Fraser.

“In your turbines I think we can see the best of Danish design, incorporating both style and functionality. It’s no wonder that today almost half of the wind turbines around the world are produced by Danish manufacturers such as Vestas.”

Prince Frederik visited one of the turbines currently under construction at Macarthur, where the first seven of 140 turbine towers have now been erected. It was hoped the first of the 55 metre long blades could be added to the nacelle on top of the tower for the Prince’s visit, but windy conditions in the morning prevented this happening. 

Later, HRH joined 125 locals, landowners, council members and schoolchildren to have a casual chat and a cup of coffee.

The Macarthur Wind Farm will have the capacity to power more than 20,000 average Victorian homes and abate more than 1.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gases every year – the equivalent of taking more than 420,000 cars off the road each year. When fully constructed, it will be the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere.

The wind farm is planned to be complete by early 2013. For more information, visit the Macarthur Wind Farm website.