A $19.9 million funding round has been announced by the federal government to help small and medium food and beverage manufacturers lower their power bills and emissions.
Part of the Energy Efficient Communities (EEC), the grants of up to $25,000 will help businesses save money on energy bills, improve energy efficiency and adopt new energy technologies. Applications for these grants close on 18 February or earlier if funding is exhausted prior.
Assistant minister to the Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Tim Wilson said the programme targets food and beverage manufacturers, which include some of the most energy intensive small and medium businesses in Australia.
“The grants can be used to replace existing equipment with more energy efficient models, carry out energy audits, or improve energy monitoring and management. The focus is on helping manufacturing businesses lower their power bills and emissions,” said Wilson.
The food and beverage manufacturing industry is the largest manufacturing sector in Australia, contributing around $22.4 billion to the economy.
“It’s because they’re the engine room of the economy employing one in four manufacturing workers, that the Morrison Government is backing food and beverage manufacturers to be competitive through grants to lower their power costs and slash emissions as part of the solution to Australia’s carbon neutral future,” Wilson said.
More information, grant guidelines and application forms are available here.
