Nine projects in “hard to abate” sectors share $330m of federal funds to slash emissions

Companies in some of Australia’s “hard to abate” industrial sectors, including cement, alumina, mining, metals and food processing, will share in $330 million in federal funding to help clean up their acts.

The Albanese government on Tuesday announced the money from the Powering the Regions Fund would be shared between nine projects in “industrial powerhouses” around the country to help fund more energy efficient technologies and processes and to produce lower emissions goods.

Among the recipients is Cement Australia, which gets $52.9 million to upgrade the company’s kiln and introduce lower-carbon fuels at its century-old Railton facility in Tasmania. In South Australia, $50 million will reduce emissions intensity at the Adbri cement manufacturing in Port Adelaide.

Another $93 million will go towards a “double digestion project” that aims to retrofit new technology into the Gladstone refinery owned by Queensland Alumina Limited to reduce its use of coal and gas.

In Western Australia, a hybrid renewable energy and battery storage project will be installed at Murrin Murrin’s cobalt and nickel operations in Leonora, with the help of $35 million in funding.

“This $330 million investment in Australia’s hard-to-abate manufacturing and mining facilities is about securing the future of high-quality, low-emissions products made right here,” federal energy minister Chris Bowen said in a prepared statement from Tasmania.

“As global markets change rapidly – we’re supporting Australian industry to not only survive but thrive with our world-class products that support regional jobs across the country.”

Bowen says the energy efficiency and technology upgrades at the nine companies promise to cut 830,000 tonnes of emissions a year and create “hundreds of new jobs.”

The hybrid renewables project at Murrin Murrin in WA, for example, is expected create 232 temporary jobs with 12 new permanent jobs. The retrofit at QAL’s facility processing bauxite for alumina is expected to create around 20-30 additional full time equivalent roles and support around 600 temporary roles.

The nine projects include the first $134 million batch of the $600 million Safeguard Transformation Stream, which is currently open for further applications through the Business Grant Hub.