Hunter businesses are set to share in a $225 million funding package designed to create hundreds of new domestic manufacturing jobs.
It is particularly aimed at regions such as the Hunter that have established highly skilled workforces and supply chains needed to grow the state's low-carbon industrial sector.
The funding will support commercial and construction-ready projects that can expand local production, attract private investment and create skilled jobs
"We have the history, skills and work ethic to manufacture the products that will power Australia's renewable energy future," Hunter Workers secretary Leigh Shears said.
"This investment is a real opportunity to diversify our local economy, building stronger supply chains and growing manufacturing jobs in the region."
The $225 million grant round will support commercial and construction-ready projects that can expand local production, attract private investment and create skilled jobs.
As global demand grows for clean energy and low-carbon products, the government is seeking businesses that can seize this opportunity by manufacturing more of these products locally, including:
"NSW manufacturing workers have the skills and experience to build the products needed for the future, from renewable energy components to low-carbon building materials," Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union NSW/ACT state secretary Brad Pidgeon said.
"This investment is an important step towards creating secure, skilled jobs in the regions that have powered NSW industry for generations."
This funding round builds on earlier Net Zero Manufacturing Initiative grants, which have backed more than 40 projects that have generated about 1,000 jobs.
In the Hunter, the funding has supported projects including Hunter Valley Solar Foundry's new large-scale solar panel manufacturing facility in Black Hill, which received $20 million and is expected to create 300 jobs.
Other Hunter projects backed through the first round include $4.85 million for FPR Energy Limited in Mayfield West to scale renewable heat and power technology, $1.1 million for Renewable Metals Pty Ltd in Muswellbrook to support development of NSW's first lithium battery recycling refinery, and funding for Orica Australia Pty Ltd in Kooragang to explore industrial carbon capture and reuse.
This next round of funding is an opportunity for more Hunter manufacturers to expand, diversify and help build the industries that will support the region's economic future.
"The Hunter has always been an industrial powerhouse for NSW, and this funding is about making sure the region is at the centre of the next generation of manufacturing," Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said.
"There is a huge global opportunity in clean energy and low-carbon products, and we want Hunter businesses and workers to be in the box seat."
Successful projects will need to attract significant private investment to NSW, with grant recipients required to match or exceed NSW Government funding dollar-for-dollar.
The investment will create jobs, further the transformation of the state's energy system, and support NSW's legislated targets to cut emissions by 70 per cent by 2035 and reach net zero by 2050.
