ARENA welcomes expanded mandate to support next generation of clean energy tech

The federal government has implemented changes to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s (ARENA) legislation to enable the agency to support the next generation of energy technologies.

With the broadened remit, ARENA will be able to support a wider range of clean energy technologies, including both renewable and non-renewable low-emission tech.

The regulation also ensures that the agency can deliver the targeted programs outlined in the 2020-21 Federal Budget; the Future Fuels Fund, Industrial Energy Transformation Studies Program, Regional Australia Microgrids Pilot Program and the Freight Energy Productivity Program.

Last year, the government announced a total funding package of $1.62 billion for ARENA including guaranteed baseline funding of $1.43 billion over the next ten years.

The funding and expanded set of technologies will allow the agency to continue to work together with energy industry participants, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, research institutions and other agencies to support innovation in clean energy technologies across the innovation chain.

ARENA is also working on the four targeted Budget Measures that will support more affordable and reliable power in regional Australia, new transport infrastructure and increase the competitiveness of energy-intensive industries.

In a statement, ARENA CEO Darren Miller said that the mandate change allows ARENA to broaden its role in helping Australia to reduce emissions and undertake the Budget Measures.

“This allows ARENA to continue to be the Agency that works at the forefront of innovation. As technologies such as solar and wind mature, we must be able to move forward and support the next generation of clean energy technologies,” Miller said.

“We still have a lot of work to do to reduce Australia’s emissions, but we’re encouraged by the support the Australian Government has placed in ARENA to be a key delivery vehicle for the Technology Investment Roadmap,” he said.

Over its lifetime, ARENA has helped to improve the competitiveness of renewable energy technologies. Currently, it has supported 586 projects with $1.7 billion in grant funding, unlocking $6.92 billion of total investment in renewable energy.

“As technologies have matured, ARENA’s focus has evolved from supporting pure renewable energy generation technologies to assisting with the integration of these technologies to support the operation of the system with ever increasing shares of variable renewable energy,” Miller said.