New precinct in the Hunter region to revive manufacturing
Green shoots have emerged for the future of clean energy in manufacturing in the Hunter. One of Australia’s largest energy users and a Hunter-based business, Tomago Aluminium, announced that it will switch from coal fired power to 100 percent renewable energy by 2029.
Newcastle Harbour | Photo credit: Lynda Hinton
This may prove a defining moment as it has the potential to boost the confidence of other Australian manufacturers who are considering renewable energy to make the leap to reign in rising electricity costs and decarbonise their production footprint at the same time.
Tomago Aluminium’s commitment to transition towards renewables is to be lauded, and is yet another reason the Hunter region - which is the largest economy in regional New South Wales - should celebrate. This accelerates the business case to develop the Hunter as a state-sanctioned Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) and will bring more clean and affordable energy to benefit everyone.
The work that Beyond Zero Emissions has done to promote the Hunter as a Renewable Energy Industrial Precinct (REIP) outlines the possibilities of powering manufacturing with 100% renewable energy while creating and securing jobs for the future as businesses transition away from carbon intensive industries such coal and mining. This is why we support the development of a Renewable Energy Industrial Precinct in the Hunter.
This REIP would create more high-value jobs for Australians, beginning with Newcastle and the Hunter and in industry around the country. SwitchDin is proud to be a Newcastle company and the REIP would mean a bigger pool of talent and partners to support SwitchDin’s growth into the future, and more meaningful employment opportunities in competitive industries for the region. It will also create more customers for our services, which are used by the industry to enable shared energy services and increase the utilisation of renewable energy - a key requirement for getting a REIP and REZ to work synergistically.
SwitchDin supports the Beyond Zero Emissions’ REIP initiative and we’ve formulated a solution where businesses, homes and utilities can come together to power the economy with local clean energy. Our proposed solution - which we call NextGrid - is software-as-infrastructure that allows renewable, distributed energy ecosystems to grow and power our industries using non-traditional assets such as rooftop solar, community batteries and solar gardens in virtual power plants. What we’ve proposed enables a diverse mix of clean energy resources to drive our electricity supply, create jobs and drive more sustainable economic development.
A future powered by 100% renewables requires brand new approaches and new types of partnerships. I believe that the Hunter region - SwitchDin’s own home turf, with its unique history and capabilities - is fertile ground for an ambitious project like this, and we are encouraged by Tomago Aluminium’s bold commitments to our economic and environmental future.