A total of 23 councils across New South Wales will share in $21 million from the federal government to fund energy upgrades for community projects including at sports clubs, pools, libraries, and more.
The federal government began announcing this week the recipients of the second round of its Community Energy Upgrades Fund. All in all, 66 local governments across Australia will receive $50 million in grants with the goal of reducing energy bills through energy efficiency and electrification upgrades to community facilities.
As of writing, the federal department of climate change, energy, the environment, and water (DCCEEW) has only announced the recipients for New South Wales, promising that announcements for other states and territories are to follow.
In NSW, 23 councils will share in $21 million across a range of projects, listed in full below. Virtually all the projects awarded include solar panels, and over half will include battery systems.
For example, in Western Sydney, both the Blacktown International Sports Park and Charlie Lowles Leisure Centre will install solar, battery storage, and LED lighting, helping to reduce overall energy costs.
The Charlestown Swim Centre in the Hunter will go electric, using solar panels to power their pool and hot water system, cutting their energy bills by as much as $128,000 each year.
In South Western Sydney, council-owned Mount Annan Leisure Centre will use their nearly $2.4 million grant to transition from gas to 100 per cent renewable energy, including the electrification of its spa boiler and café appliances, and expanding its existing rooftop solar system, saving the local Council of Camden up to $185,000 in operational costs each year.
“Generations of Australians have enjoyed and benefitted from facilities in the local community, and with this latest round of funding from the Albanese Government, we are ensuring that these facilities can invest more into their work for their local communities,” said Chris Bowen, federal minister for climate change and energy.
“From the local cricket ground, story time at the library, and diving into the local pool at the height of summer, these upgrades will deliver a cheaper, cleaner energy future for Australia – it’s further proof that what’s good for the planet is good for the pocket.”
The New South Wales Labor government, meanwhile, has announced changes to the Heritage Act that will allow state heritage-listed properties to add rooftop solar, batteries, insulation and draught proofing without seeking formal approval.
State energy and environment minister Penny Sharpe says the move takes a “significant step” to align heritage conservation with climate action.
In the case of solar, the changes will exempt rooftop PV if the system is under 10kW and the panels are not facing the street. Alterations must also be carried out by people with appropriate skills.
“We want heritage properties, rich in history, to also be able to contribute to reducing emission through the uptake of solar,” Sharpe said on Thursday.
“These sensible changes mean heritage will be protected while allowing owners to install energy-saving measures and undertake important and necessary updates.”
The full list of the NSW recipients of the federal energy upgrade grants is below.
| Project title | Grant amount ($ GST excl) | |
| Lane Cove Municipal Council | Lane Cove Aquatic Leisure Centre – Towards Electrification | 1,144,500 |
| Bathurst Regional Council | Bathurst Regional Council steps to electrification and Net Zero | 1,786,923 |
| Orange City Council | Clean Power, Clear Water: Orange Water Treatment Plant Solar & Battery | 1,130,699 |
| Oberon Council | Oberon Integrated Energy Projects | 200,075 |
| Blayney Shire Council | Powering our Future: Blayney Storage Project | 496,182 |
| Kempsey Shire Council | Pursuing net zero for Kempsey water and wastewater facilities | 346,600 |
| Bega Valley Shire Council | Bega Valley Energy Resilience Project | 915,750 |
| Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council | QPRC’s Solar Initiatives: Powering Googong WRP & Captains Flat Pool | 65,000 |
| Griffith City Council | Griffith Net Zero Facilities Upgrade Program | 2,500,000 |
| Hay Shire Council | Hay Water and Sewer Renewables Programme | 76,317 |
| Liverpool City Council | Powering Net Zero | 358,202 |
| The Council of Camden | Electrification of Mount Annan Leisure Centre (MALC) | 2,351,068 |
| Singleton Council | Singleton Towards Net-Zero: Integrated Energy Upgrade Program | 1,376,010 |
| Blacktown City Council | Power up play – Blacktown’s innovative approach to energy efficient sports | 1,944,000 |
| Forbes Shire Council | FSC Energy Production and Storage Upgrades | 651,213 |
| Narromine Shire Council | Powering Narromine: Clean Energy Upgrades Across Council Facilities | 163,125 |
| Gunnedah Shire Council | Community Energy Upgrades – Gunnedah | 439,815 |
| Narrabri Shire Council | Solar Energy Upgrades at Narrabri Aquatic Centre and The Crossing Theatre | 157,171 |
| Maitland City Council | Electrification of Maitland’s Regional Art Gallery & Aquatic Centre Stage 1 | 966,928 |
| Byron Shire Council | Resilient Energy Efficiency Upgrades at Byron Shire Community Facilities | 98,686 |
| Temora Shire Council | Temora Community Facilities Energy Upgrades | 134,217 |
| Upper Lachlan Shire Council | Empowering Upper Lachlan in the Net Zero Transition | 1,144,180 |
| Lake Macquarie City Council | Energy Resilience Upgrade at Charlestown Swim Centre | 2,500,000 |
