Australian steel producer BlueScope led consortium has won a federal grant worth AUD 55.4 million to create an Advanced Steel Manufacturing Precinct to manufacture components for the renewable energy industry, including for solar and wind technologies.
BlueScope said the grant will catalyze a further investment of AUD 161.6 million from the company and its partners—engineering firm Keppel Prince, another steel maker Bisalloy, and the University of Wollongong for the project which will be located at Port Kembla Steelworks.
Their new fabrication facility is likely to lead to the creation of around 200 new jobs in steel manufacturing and another 1,000+ in associated industries.
The grant has been awarded under the Australian government's Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI) and National Manufacturing Priorities, that aims to enhance the country's production capabilities and has a total budget of AUD 1.3 billion. BlueScope and partners have received the funding out of AUD 243 million awarded in total under the same.
Clean energy, under which BlueScope has secured the grant, is one among National Manufacturing Priorities for Australia.
Earlier, while welcoming the New South Wales (NSW) government's launch of AUD 250 million Renewable Manufacturing Fund, BlueScope's Managing Director and CEO Mark Vassella had said that currently the nation relies on imported products for several key components for wind towers and solar farms, along with for transmission infrastructure and the like. Local manufacturing in these segments must be encouraged by the government.
In 2018, BlueScope signed up as an offtaker of 88 MW out of 133 MW Finley Solar Farm which was touted as one of the largest corporate offtake agreements in Australia back then.
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