Cairns and Mackay Airports have committed to powering 100 per cent of their land operations with renewable energy under an agreement with state-government owned energy company CleanCo and the North Queensland Airports group.

In what the state government is hailing a significant leap forward in sustainable tourism, Cairns and Mackay Airports and their tenants aim to be powered by renewable energy generated at the Kaban Wind Farm near Ravenshoe by 2025.

The six year agreement commences next January.

CleanCo CEO Tom Metcalfe says the deal is of great importance to CleanCo.

“Thank you to North Queensland Airports for trusting CleanCo as a partner in the organisation’s sustainability journey,” he said in a statement.

“We are delighted to support Queensland’s valuable tourism industry through the supply of renewable energy generated right here in Queensland.”

NQA CEO Richard Barker said NQA aimed to be among the first carbon-neutral airports in Australia.

“Our partnership with CleanCo means 100 per cent of our electricity, and that of tenants, will be powered by renewable energy,” he said.

Cairns Airport and Mackay Airport were privatised by the state in 2008, and currently see in some five million domestic and international passengers a year.

The Kaban Green Power Hub in the state’s Atherton Tablelands, which has a power purchase agreement with CleanCo, will have 28 wind turbines as part of the North Queensland Renewable Energy Zone.

It’s operated by French renewables producer NEOEN, which has a capacity purchase agreement with CleanCo to buy and integrate energy generated at the wind farm into its portfolio.

CleanCo was established in 2018 as a government owned corporation ad Queensland’s third government owned energy company.

It has a focus on clean energy and a mandate to help the state reach 50 per cent renewable energy generation capacity by 2030 under the Queensland Renewable Energy Target (QRET)