Public Lighting Upgrade Project (Revoked)

Public Lighting Upgrade Project (Revoked) is an energy efficiency project located in the Melbourne Central Business District (CBD) in Victoria. It was registered in December 2015 and covers an unknown area size.

Commercial and public lighting projects involve upgrading or replacing lighting systems in roads, public spaces, or commercial areas to increase their energy efficiency. These projects generate carbon abatement by reducing electricity use, with standard requirements including the installation of high-efficiency equipment and calculating the resulting emissions reductions based on measured energy savings.

The Melbourne CBD is a highly urbanised commercial and residential centre. The area experiences a temperate climate with a moderate annual rainfall of approximately 640mm. The underlying soil profiles generally consist of silty loams and basaltic clays, though the immediate surface area is almost entirely paved or built over.

This project was managed by the Melbourne City Council (City of Melbourne) and aimed to replace public street lighting across the municipality with highly efficient LED luminaires. Interestingly, the project was voluntarily revoked on September 5, 2018, under section 30 of the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) Rule. Furthermore, the entire Commercial and Public Lighting methodology was eventually revoked by the Minister in April 2022. The Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee found that extending the crediting period would not result in additional abatement, as upgrading to LEDs had become standard industry practice that would occur in the ordinary course of events without carbon credit incentives.