- $50 million in 2025-26 State Budget for rollout of Local Battery Manufacturing Program
- Delivery of election commitment part of Cook Labor Government's Made in WA plan
- Direct grants and low-interest loans to supercharge local manufacturing, support WA Residential Battery Scheme
The Cook Government is supporting industry to make residential batteries in Western Australia, with a $50 million Local Battery Manufacturing Program of direct grants and low-interest loans.
The Local Battery Manufacturing Program is part of the government's Made in WA plan to keep the State's economy strong, create the jobs of the future and make more things closer to home.
Most local manufacturers are focused on commercial and regional or remote battery technologies, and have expressed strong interest in scaling up residential battery manufacturing when the market becomes stronger.
The Budget investment will help put WA businesses in the box seat to benefit from a surge in demand for household batteries to harness solar energy thanks to the government's WA Residential Battery Scheme.
The Residential Battery Scheme, which includes no-interest loans, ensures tens of thousands of households can store the renewable power they generate at home, receive ongoing cost-of-living relief and help secure the State's clean energy future.
The $337 million WA Residential Battery Scheme and the $2.3 billion Federal Government Cheaper Home Batteries Program will ensure around five times as many households can seamlessly access the complementary schemes than originally proposed under the State scheme.
An estimated 100,000 households are set to benefit from a combination of the State and Federal election commitments to assist with the cost of installing batteries.
Synergy customers are eligible to receive up to $5,000 and Horizon Power customers eligible for up to $7,500. Households are expected to save up to $1,500 per year through installing a battery and solar panels.
Under the $50 million Local Battery Manufacturing Program, eligible WA battery manufacturers will be able to access a $30 million grants program to grow their capacity to provide competitive residential battery products to local and international markets.
Grants will be up to $10 million and must be matched dollar for dollar by the proponent.
The package also includes $20 million for low-interest loans or provision of State Government land to encourage industry to make major new investments in technology and expanded production facilities.
As stated by Premier Roger Cook:
"Building batteries here in Western Australia was a key part of the Made in WA plan my government took to the election.
"It will support our nation-leading battery rebates, which in turn will secure our clean energy future and provide long-term, sustainable cost-of-living relief to tens of thousands of households throughout WA.
"These programs are part of a Budget that will secure our State's economic future and deliver a future that's Made in WA."
As stated by Energy and Decarbonisation and Manufacturing Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson:
"The Residential Battery Scheme and the Local Battery Manufacturing Program are clear examples of the Cook Government ensuring that Western Australians benefit from the energy transition.
"Direct grants and low-interest loans will provide support for local companies to expand to take advantage of the surge in demand for batteries from households wanting to store more of their solar energy for when they really need it.
"The Residential Battery Scheme helps households with ongoing cost-of-living relief while creating the right environment for increased business investment and growth."
As stated by Treasurer Rita Saffioti:
"This investment is good for business, good for households and good for our economy.
"It's about supporting local businesses to grow their capacity, ultimately creating more jobs for Western Australians while also keeping power bills lower for households.
"The Local Battery Manufacturing Program is all part of our Made in WA plan, building on the success of returning railcar manufacturing to WA to continue diversifying our economy, supporting jobs and propelling our State forward."
