Low Carbon Product Manufacturing Grant

Applicants can be based internationally, interstate or in NSW. To be eligible for funding, you as the applicant must:

• hold or be willing to obtain an Australian Business Number (ABN) prior to entering into a funding deed
• be or will become an entity type listed below prior to entering into a funding deed:
  • a company incorporated in Australia
  • a company limited by guarantee
  • an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust
  • an incorporated association or a co-operative
  • an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006
• be or will become registered for goods and services tax (GST) prior to signing a funding deed
• hold or obtain all insurances required by law, including $20 million public liability insurance and current worker's compensation policy, prior to entering into a funding deed
• not be subject to any insolvency event including the subject of an order or resolution for winding up or dissolution (other than for reconstruction or amalgamation) or the appointment of a receiver, liquidator, administrator or similar
• not be listed on the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade sanctions list
• disclose any legal proceedings or investigations including litigation, arbitration, mediation or conciliation that are taking place, pending or (to the best of the applicant's knowledge, after having made proper enquiry) threatened against the applicant or a related body corporate (as defined in the Corporations Act) that may adversely impact the applicant’s ability to fulfil its obligations under the funding deed
• disclose all Australian Government and/or Australian state or territory grants applied for in relation to the proposed project including a history of any grant funding over the last 5 years (including both successful and unsuccessful applications)
• declare you materially comply with all:
  • obligations under employment contracts, industrial agreements and awards
  • codes of conduct and practice relevant to conditions of service and to the relations between the applicants and the employees employed by the applicant
  • applicable Workplace Health and Safety legislation.
• achieve Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval before commencement of the project should it be required.

Manufacturing industries.

To be eligible for funding, you must confirm that your proposed project:

• will deliver new or expanded industrial facilities located in NSW
• will manufacture eligible low carbon products and materials at commercial scale*. This includes:
  • building materials
  • ‘green’ chemicals
  • biofuels derived from biomass, including biodiesel and sustainable aviation fuel
  • power fuels produced with renewable energy
  • inputs needed for agricultural production
• will manufacture an eligible low carbon product that demonstrates lower lifetime carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions compared to equivalent conventional incumbent products. You will need to provide evidence demonstrating the emissions reduction potential consistent with established emissions assessment methodologies
• is expected to be fully delivered within 4 years of execution of the funding deed and no later than 30 June 2032
• is sustainable without continued government investment
• would not occur in NSW at all, or in the same timeframe, without government support
• has a funding need from this grant opportunity in the range of $5 million to $30 million, representing no more than 50% of the eligible project costs
• has a viable commercial strategy
• has a minimum cash contribution of at least 50% of the costs from non-NSW Government sources (for example, applicant, collaborators, private or other public organisations). In-kind (non-financial) contributions are not counted towards the 50% contribution for the eligible project.

*The technologies and processes used to manufacture the low carbon products and materials must be within the commercial readiness index (CRI) 3-6.

The expected project outcome is a new or expanded commercial scale manufacturing facility for low carbon products.

Funding may be used for capital expenses (CAPEX) and other costs directly related to the delivery of your project. Costs will be reviewed closely and eligible costs may only be incurred once both parties have signed a funding deed.

Eligible costs include those for:

• purchasing land (if necessary for your project and suitable alternatives to rent do not exist)
• purchasing, constructing, installing and/or commissioning new plant, equipment and/or machinery
• purchasing, constructing, establishing and/or fitting out new facilities, buildings or hubs
• purchasing technology and/or intellectual property (IP) required for your project
• upgrading existing facilities, buildings, plant, equipment, machinery and/or technology where necessary to deliver your project and achieve its outcomes
• labour costs up to 10% of total grant funding, for new roles including:
  • external project management
  • specialists such as technicians and subject matter experts
  • machine operators
  • consultants
  • tradespeople
  • apprentices.

You are an ineligible applicant if you are:

• an Australian or NSW Government agency, state owned corporation or statutory authority
• a local government authority or their Section 355 committees
• an organisation that does not have an ABN and are unable to obtain an ABN prior to entering into a funding deed
• an unincorporated association
• an other unincorporated organisation
• an individual (including sole traders)
• a business which is insolvent.

The following costs are ineligible for funding:

• labour costs for existing roles
• day-to-day operations costs of your business
• marketing and promotional costs
• front-end engineering design (FEED) costs
• costs incurred before both parties have signed a funding deed, including
  • existing assets owned by you the applicant or affiliated entities, including newly established or proposed entities
  • assets already procured under a loan facility
• cost already funded by other sources of local, state or commonwealth government funding.

The following projects are ineligible for funding:

• projects requiring ongoing funding from the NSW Government beyond the end date of the grant
• projects that would proceed and be delivered within the same timeframe without government investment support
• projects that have already commenced or started work for the activities or scope of works for which funding is being requested for in your application, prior to a signed funding deed
• projects, or parts of projects, that have already received NSW Government funding for the same scope of activities as outlined in your application.

Examples of eligible projects.

• Manufacturing Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) as a low-carbon construction material made from sustainably sourced. CLT replaces carbon-intensive materials like concrete and steel in building structures due to its carbon sequestration properties, efficient manufacturing process and reduction of transport emissions by similar products imported from international sources.
• Manufacturing cements based on carbonation of calcium silicate binders that sequester CO2e by reabsorbing CO2e emissions during the curing process. These binders have a different chemical composition to ordinary portland cement.
• Anaerobic digestion of organic biomass (organic waste fractions, waste from industrial grain distillers, agricultural residues) to produce biomethane for injection into gas pipelines.

You as the applicant must provide a minimum cash contribution of at least 50% of the eligible project costs from non-NSW Government sources (for example, applicant, collaborators, private or other public organisations). In-kind (non-financial) contributions are not counted towards the 50% contribution for the eligible project costs.