Australia Supporting energy needs of regional and remote communities

The Australian Government is continuing to support secure, reliable and affordable power for regional and remote communities through microgrids.

Round Two of the Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund is now open, with successful projects set to share up to $25 million in grants.

Projects across Australia from very remote Indigenous communities in Western Australia and the Northern Territory to rural farming communities in Victoria are eligible to apply.

The program will help fund feasibility studies into whether establishing a microgrid, or upgrading existing off-grid technologies, would better meet community needs.

Microgrids can reduce electricity bills for regional and remote communities, and benefit the grid as a whole by saving hundreds of millions of dollars in network infrastructure costs.

Microgrids can also help regional communities reduce their reliance on costly diesel generation.

Earlier this year, 17 microgrid projects shared in over $19 million in grant funding under Round One of the Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund.

Applications for Round Two close on 27 January 2021.

For more information, including how to apply, see business.gov.au.