The incredible events of 2020 have given Australians a once-in-a-generation moment to decide what we want our future to be. Especially in the regions, people are hungry for practical ideas about how to seize the momentous opportunities before us and build a generation of shared prosperity. Renewable energy is one such opportunity.
Regional Australia has the best renewable energy resources in the world. A boom in investment is already underway. Our challenge is now to ensure that everyday Australians will share in its benefits. Community energy – where everyday people are empowered to develop, own and benefit from their own energy projects – is a way to ensure the renewable boom happens with and for us, not to us. This year, I invited experts and communities across Australia to help me co-design a national plan to unlock the potential of community energy. Together, we have produced a practical, realistic blueprint to bring cheap, clean, local power to the regions.
This is the Local Power Plan. It involves three schemes delivered by a new entity, the Australian Local Power Agency (ALPA)
1. The Local Power Scheme will support communities to develop their own energy projects;
2. The Underwriting New Community Investment scheme will underwrite locally-owned mid-scale projects;
3. The Community Renewable Investment Scheme will enable local communities to coinvest in new large-scale projects.
