AGL Energy Limited (AGL) has announced a new $250,000 partnership with Falls Creek to enhance facilities at Victoria’s largest alpine resort.

AGL will provide Falls Creek with $50,000 per annum for the next five years. This will see the extension of AGL’s sponsorship agreement which has been in place for the past four years.

The announcement comes a week before Falls Creek hosts Australia’s premier long distance, cross country ski race, the Kangaroo Hoppet. AGL is in its seventh year of sponsoring the Hoppet, which forms part of the Worldloppet series of international cross country ski events.

Member for Benalla Bill Sykes and Member for Benambra Bill Tilley attended the sponsorship launch and welcomed AGL’s support of one of Victoria’s finest Alpine resorts.

Announcing the new Falls Creek sponsorship deal, AGL's Head of Hydro, said the arrangement offered AGL an opportunity to enhance its support for an important community asset.

“Falls Creek is a major tourist destination, providing a unique experience to thousands of visitors each year, including families, locals, interstate tourists and international professional athletes."

“The resort delivers significant social and economic benefits to this community and AGL expects this new agreement will further boost its potential.

“AGL Hydro shares its natural water resources with Falls Creek in the pristine Alpine National Park area and we pride ourselves on working in harmony with our surrounds.

“We embrace our role as constructive participants in our local communities and we look forward to building on the strong connection we already have with Falls Creek."

Falls Creek Management Chief Executive Officer, David Herman commended AGL on its support for the resort’s future development.

“The history, infrastructure and integration of hydro is part and parcel of what makes Falls Creek unique. Assets such as Rocky Valley Dam, the aqueduct trail network and abundant snow making capability are the foundation of our points of difference. We are extremely proud of our association with AGL and look forward to continuing to build strong community ties in the years ahead,” Mr Herman said.

The course for the Kangaroo Hoppet event on Saturday, 23 August circumnavigates the shores of AGL’s Rocky Valley Dam, used by the company for hydroelectric power generation. AGL creates renewable energy from this resource and enough electricity to power approximately 120,000 Victorian homes during peak summer demand.

The Kangaroo Hoppet is the only southern hemisphere event in the 16 race Worldloppet series of distance cross country ski events. Worldloppet is a union of the most famous cross country ski races in the world attracting over 50,000 skiers annually.

About AGL
AGL is one of Australia's leading integrated energy companies and largest ASX listed owner, operator and developer of renewable energy generation in the country. Drawing on over 175 years of experience, AGL operates retail and merchant energy businesses, power generation assets and an upstream gas portfolio. AGL has one of Australia's largest retail energy and dual fuel customer bases. AGL has a diverse power generation portfolio including base, peaking and intermediate generation plants, spread across traditional thermal generation as well as renewable sources including hydro, wind, landfill gas and biomass. AGL is taking action toward creating a sustainable energy future for our investors, communities and customers.