Alison Byrnes (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today, with Minister Bowen and the member for Whitlam, I was able to announce that Warrawong and Dapto will receive community batteries, helping lower household electricity bills, reducing emissions and delivering renewable energy for local residents. Endeavour Energy will receive $1 million in grant funding to install a 720-kilowatt-hour battery in Warrawong and a 1,040-kilowatt-hour battery in Dapto as part of the government's Community Batteries for Household Solar Program. This is another example of the Albanese Labor Government delivering for the Illawarra region, as we invest $200 million to install 400 community batteries across the country. This is a great win for people in Warrawong, a community of around 500 households with some of the most vulnerable people in our region, who are now set to benefit from the Labor Government's investment in community batteries. This investment will see eight pole-top battery units installed and one small ground based unit in Warrawong, with the Commonwealth contributing just over half of the project cost and Endeavour investing the remaining contribution.

Community batteries are just one of the steps the Albanese Labor Government is taking to drive down household and business energy costs and make homes and businesses cheaper to run. With Endeavour Energy given the green light, work will now begin to formalise the battery location, engage with the local community and start works in the coming months to plug the battery into the grid.