The Clean Energy Future Fund was launched in April 2020 and supports the implementation of innovative clean energy projects in Western Australia which offer high public value through contributing to one or more of the following outcomes:
- significant, cost-effective reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below projected (or baseline) emissions as a direct result of the clean energy project
- design, deployment, testing or demonstration of innovative clean energy projects likely to deliver community benefits or lead to broad adoption and significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
The Fund is focused on projects near the investment-ready stage so that our funding can secure tangible emissions reductions, and applications with a strong potential for wider adoption.
Round two is now open
Applications for round two funding opened on 25 January 2021 and will close on Thursday, 22 April 2021. The fund has $16 million available.
Changes to eligibility and project funding mean that:
- local government organisations are now eligible to apply
- the maximum funding for projects has increased to $4 million.
See the how to apply section below.
Ministerial priorities
The Minister for Environment and Minister for Energy determine priorities for the fund. The current Ministerial priorities are:
- Innovative clean energy projects in regional and remote Western Australia.
- Regional and remote Western Australia means projects that are at the fringe of, or are not connected to, the South West Interconnected System or the North West Interconnected System.
- Clean energy projects that improve the security and resilience of networked electricity supply in line with the Distributed Energy Resources Roadmap.
- Clean energy projects that support decarbonisation of existing industry and the development of new, low-emissions industries in Western Australia.
- 'Shovel ready’ clean energy projects that will reduce emissions and create jobs in Western Australia.
- Projects that will enhance energy efficiency and materially reduce emissions from the built environment or manufacturing.
- Clean energy projects that support the replacement of diesel with renewable energy.
How to apply
Potential applicants should review the applicant guidelines then complete the application form. The following resources are provided to support your application:
- financial model template and completed example
- risk register template
- you should also review the general conditions of the CEFF funding agreement.
Please direct any questions to ceff@dwer.wa.gov.au. Relevant questions, along with answers, will be listed in the questions and answers section for all potential applicants to see. Please subscribe below to be notified when new answers are posted.
Please allow enough time to submit your application as large attachments may take longer to be received via email. Submissions are deemed to be received at the time they are received by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
Applications received after 22 April 2021 will not be accepted.
Round one outcome
Round one applications closed on 13 July 2020. The successful applicants from round one were announced in this media statement.
Questions and answers
Show moreIf you have questions regarding the grant program, you can direct them to ceff@dwer.wa.gov.au. For fairness reasons, all questions and responses that provide additional information to applicants will be published here. Questions may be edited for clarity or to protect the identity of the sender. If you have subscribed for email updates, you will be notified of new answers posted. If you haven’t subscribed, you should check back regularly.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1. Can I submit more than one application? | Yes, more than one application may be submitted. |
| 2. How do I complete the financial model if I am applying for funding for a pilot project, with a commercial-scale project to follow? |
The expenditure, funding sources and milestones for the pilot must be clearly separated from those for the future project. The easiest way to achieve this is to complete a financial model for the pilot and another separate model for the future project showing the potential benefits. The financial model template may be modified if necessary. Please indicate the changes made to the template if you have done so. Where an application is accompanied by your own modelling, please indicate clearly in the application form where the answers to each question are. |
| 3. Can we apply for funding for front-end engineering design? | Yes. Section 5 of the Applicant guidelines includes essential non-equipment expenditure including design, professional services as eligible expenditure. |
| 4. Are projects that produce energy in the form of fuel (hydrogen, ammonia, biogas, etc.) eligible? |
Yes. Applications should provide evidence that there is a market or use for the product(s). For applications relating to renewable hydrogen, applicants may also wish to contact the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation’s Renewable Hydrogen Unit. |
| 5. Are projects to replace other fossil fuels with natural gas eligible? | Yes. Projects proposing replacement of diesel or coal with gas are likely to have a lower merit score and be less aligned with Ministerial priorities than those replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy. |
|
6. Are all Ministerial priorities equally weighted? My project does not meet the Ministerial priorities. Can I still apply? |
There is no weighting attached to the Ministerial priorities. Ministerial priorities provide guidance to applicants on areas for which project proposals would be welcomed. Applications are not required to meet Ministerial priorities in order to be eligible for consideration. |
| 7. Which projects are excluded by the stationary energy requirement? |
The definition of a clean energy project is a project that deploys or applies a technology that reduces greenhouse gas emissions from the production or use of stationary energy. Stationary energy excludes the use of energy for the purpose of transportation. Energy use for transport purposes is defined as any of the following: a) transport by vehicles registered for road use b) rail transport c) marine navigation d) air transport. This is consistent with the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Determination 2008. |
| 8. Is there a map or definition of which areas are considered fringe of grid? | There is not a strict definition. Generally, the fringe of the grid is considered to be at or close to the edge of the distribution network, where there is a low density of customers (which can sometimes be well within the South West Interconnected System) or where location is causing reliability, quality, electrical loss, or cost issues. The grid refers to the state’s two largest electricity networks, the South West Interconnected System and North West Interconnected System. |
To subscribe to receive email updates please enter your email below:
Show more