The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) today welcomes the announcement by the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, the Hon Chris Bowen MP, of the reappointment of Darren Miller as ARENA CEO for a further 3 years.
Since starting at ARENA in 2018, Mr Miller has overseen significant growth for the Agency, culminating in a renewed commitment and sense of urgency to increase the uptake of renewable energy to achieve net zero by 2050.
Last financial year alone saw $540 million committed to 60 projects, representing the largest amount of funding ever committed by ARENA and highlighting the importance of the public and private funding model that has worked so effectively for over a decade now.
ARENA Chair Justin Punch also welcomed the reappointment of Mr Miller.
“Darren has led ARENA through an unprecedented period of growth and impact in recent years, with clear strategy and outstanding execution,” Mr Punch said.
“He conceived and brought to reality ARENA’s solar 30-30-30 program focussing on ultra low-cost solar, and under his leadership the agency has executed transformational large-scale battery programs, pushed into hard-to-abate industrial sectors, and designed and launched the government’s $2 billion Hydrogen Headstart program, amongst many other initiatives.”
“His reappointment will provide much needed stability as ARENA helps Australia successfully execute this next vital stage of its energy transition.”
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said he was honoured to be given the opportunity of a third term as CEO.
“I am honoured to be reappointed as ARENA’s CEO for a further three years following the end of my current term next year. We’ve made a lot of progress over the past five years since I’ve been at ARENA, however, there is still much to do on the journey to net zero and I remain passionate and committed to our work,” Mr Miller said.
“ARENA’s success wouldn’t have happened without the skilled and committed team at ARENA. They work hard to ensure funding goes towards the most promising technologies and projects throughout Australia and share that knowledge to help accelerate the energy transition.”
“I’d like to thank the Australian Government and the ARENA Board for their support and confidence.”
Mr Miller’s third three-year term commences on 27 August 2024.
About ARENA
ARENA is Australia’s renewable energy innovation agency and since its establishment in 2012 by the Australian Government, it has supported 672 projects with $2.31 billion in grant funding, unlocking a total investment of almost $9.93 billion in Australia’s renewable energy industry.
Through these projects, strong stakeholder engagement and knowledge sharing activities, ARENA has been instrumental in building the foundations of the renewable energy ecosystem in Australia.
ARENA has strong expertise and a deep understanding of the renewable energy sector coupled with a willingness to fund innovative and ground-breaking projects. The Agency has provided a pathway to commercialisation for many new technologies and businesses that would otherwise have struggled to get off the ground.
