New tech initiatives to revolutionise energy use in manufacturing

The Australian Government announced its support for businesses to adopt innovative technologies aimed at reducing emissions and boosting productivity, especially in hard-to-abate industries.

By allocating nearly $2 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the government is enabling ten businesses to conduct feasibility studies focused on new energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives.

In particular, this funding will help the Brown Family Wine Group electrify their vineyard operations, assist Gippsland abattoir O’Connor Beef in implementing technology to capture biogas during wastewater processing, and enable Real Pet Food Co, one of Australia’s largest pet food manufacturers, to better manage and reuse heat from manufacturing processes.

These projects will enhance energy efficiency across industries such as wine, meat, water, and manufacturing.

Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Jenny McAllister emphasised the importance of ARENA’s collaboration with Australian industries in reducing emissions and costs.

She noted that investing in energy performance unlocks productivity and energy savings for businesses across Australia. With these grants, the government ensures that companies, from Victorian wineries to Western Sydney pet food factories, can achieve energy and emissions savings.

“With ARENA’s expertise, these grants will not only help businesses scope and pioneer clean energy innovation but demonstrate the technology to help Australian industries decarbonise and become more competitive,” McAllister highlighted.

In its first ten years, ARENA invested over $1.9 billion in grants, unlocking nearly $8.81 billion in total investment in Australia’s renewable energy industry.

The recent Budget includes an additional $1.9 billion investment to further support innovative clean energy projects.

Among the supported projects are $399,503 for renewable energy initiatives and a covered anaerobic lagoon for wastewater treatment at G&K O’Connor meat processing facility in Pakenham, Victoria, $250,400 for a heat energy recovery system at Real Pet Food Co’s manufacturing sites in Queensland and New South Wales, and $244,677 to improve energy efficiency and explore electrification options at Quantem in Port Botany, West Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Additionally, $242,924 will modernise refrigeration infrastructure at George Weston Food’s small-goods facility in Castlemaine, Victoria, and $205,000 will fund energy efficiency and electrification projects at the Beston Global Food Company dairy factory in Jervois, South Australia.

Further support includes $149,850 to develop a decarbonisation roadmap at three of Unilever’s hygiene and food manufacturing sites across New South Wales and Victoria.

It also includes $147,800 to explore energy-from-waste options through biomass processing at the Bindaree Beef meat processing facility in Inverell, New South Wales. Additionally, $117,515 will be used to optimise energy efficiency across the Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water pipeline in Western Victoria.

Moreover, $116,397 will be allocated to identify low-emission and energy-efficient technologies at the Brown Family Wine Group winery in Milawa, Victoria.

$110,000 will be invested to investigate a geothermal heating system for process heat at Paper Australia’s barramundi farm in Latrobe Valley, Victoria.