On behalf of the Australian Government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has today launched the $40 million National Industrial Transformation (NIT) Program aimed at supporting the reduction of scope 1 and scope 2 emissions at existing or planned industrial facilities in Australia.
The NIT Program is an update to the former Industrial Energy Transformation Studies Program (IETS) to more comprehensively support industrial decarbonisation.
The NIT Program allows a more streamlined and seamless integration with the recently launched $400 million Industrial Transformation Stream (ITS). The revisions allow support for industrial emissions abatement across Australia, as well as helping to expand the program scope to now include applications from the pre-feasibility, feasibility and FEED stages through to trial, demonstration and deployment activities. Former IETS funding has now been reallocated to the NIT Program.
The objectives of National Industrial Transformation are to:
- Support industrial facilities in Australia to reduce emissions in line with Australia’s 2030 emissions reduction goals and transition to net zero by 2050.
- Improve technology readiness and commercial readiness of renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency technologies and electrification technologies that will result in a significant reduction in scope 1 and/or scope 2 emissions or improve the energy efficiency of an industrial process or processes.
- Encourage technology demonstration, collaboration and knowledge sharing across industry and regions.
- Support upskilling of industrial workforce in new decarbonisation activities.
Unlike the recently launched ITS Program, the NIT Program is not constrained to regional, National Greenhouse Energy Reporting (NGER) facilities.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said: “The National Industrial Transformation Program will expand the type of applications that can be received, adding another vital tool to our industrial decarbonisation efforts.”
“With industry accounting for approximately 44% of Australian emissions, we need to target sectors such as agriculture, water, mining and manufacturing to assist them progress towards net zero. ARENA’s funding model is well placed to make a real impact.
Both the Industrial Transformation Stream and the National Industrial Transformation Program are now open for applications.
Applicants are encouraged to contact ARENA at [email protected] to discuss the most appropriate Program and to visit the NIT webpage for further information.