Australian Renewable Energy Agency (General Funding Strategy) Approval 2026

law://au/li/2026/f2026l01233@2026-11-13

Contents

1 Name #

This instrument is the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (General Funding Strategy) Approval 2026.

(1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Commencement information
Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
Provisions	Commencement	Date/Details
1. The whole of this instrument	The day on which the instrument is made by the Minister in accordance with subsection 20(2) of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency Act 2011

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.

Subsection 20(2) of the Act provides for an approved general funding strategy to be a legislative instrument on the day on which the strategy is approved. Subsection 21(1) of the Act has the effect that a general funding strategy approved after the commencement of a financial year commences from the time when the Minister approves the strategy.

3 Authority #

This instrument is made under subsection 20(2) of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency Act 2011.

4 Definitions #

In this instrument:

Act means the Australian Renewable Energy Agency Act 2011.

Note: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in the definitions section of the Act, including the following:

5 Schedules #

Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.

6 Approval of General Funding Strategy #

For subsection 20(2) of the Act, the General Funding Strategy 2026/27 – 2028/29 at Schedule 1 is approved.

1 Introduction #

1.1 About ARENA #

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) was established on 1 July 2012 by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency Act 2011 (Cth) (ARENA Act). ARENA is a corporate Commonwealth entity for the purposes of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (Cth) (PGPA Act).

The ARENA Act is supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency Regulations 2025, which provide that ARENA must additionally assist the Clean Energy Finance Corporation in the administration of its Clean Energy Innovation Fund, and which specify additional amounts payable to ARENA under subsection 64(2) of the ARENA Act.

Our vision is a prosperous Australia thriving in a net zero world.

Our mission is to support global emissions reduction by accelerating innovation and the deployment of renewable energy, electrification and energy efficiency technologies, to the benefit of all Australians.

Our purpose is to support improvements in the competitiveness and supply of renewable energy and the uptake of energy efficiency and electrification by providing financial assistance and sharing knowledge, to accelerate innovation that benefits all Australians, and facilitates the achievement of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions targets.

Through our role in improving the competitiveness and increasing the supply of renewable energy in Australia, ARENA is helping to achieve the Government’s climate change and energy objectives, anchored by emissions reduction goals of 43% by 2030, 62–70% by 2035 and net zero by 2050.

We acknowledge that Australia’s path towards net zero traverses the lands and waters of First Nations peoples. In carrying out our work, ARENA supports the Government’s commitment to meaningful engagement by:

1.2 About the General Funding Strategy #

The General Funding Strategy (GFS) guides how ARENA provides financial assistance in accordance with the ARENA Act, associated regulations and the PGPA Act. ARENA is required to develop a GFS each financial year that sets out our principal objectives and priorities for the provision of financial assistance over the current and upcoming two financial years.

When developing the GFS, ARENA must have regard to the most recent Statement of Expectations (SoE) issued jointly by the Minister for Energy and Climate Change and the Minister for Finance. In response to the most recent SoE, issued in 2025, ARENA has committed to align with government expectations to support renewable energy development, industry growth, electrification (including community electrification), and First Nations and community benefits through programs and collaborations, as well as to undertake work to understand the needs of the emerging offshore wind industry.

The GFS is provided to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy for approval and ceases to be in force when the GFS for the next financial year comes into force. ARENA may not enter into an agreement to provide financial assistance unless the assistance is in accordance with the GFS in force at the relevant time. It is the ARENA Board’s responsibility to ensure the GFS is published on ARENA’s website.

You can also read about ARENA’s:

These can be found on the Publications page of the ARENA website.

2 Principal objectives and priorities for arena financial assistance #

ARENA provides financial assistance to Australian researchers, innovators and businesses for projects that align with our principal objectives – described as our strategic priorities – or the objectives of the budget measure programs that ARENA is responsible for delivering.

ARENA’s strategic priorities

For the period of this GFS (2026–27 to 2028–29), ARENA’s strategic priorities are to:

These priorities reflect our mission to support global emissions reduction by:

2.1 Guiding principles #

Our strategic priorities address the key challenges we aim to solve through the provision of financial assistance and knowledge sharing. We use the following guiding principles to set our strategic priorities.

Maximum impact

ARENA strives to achieve maximum impact and value in its strategic priorities (via the projects we fund) through:

1. High impact: each priority individually contributes to a significant part of ARENA’s mission.

2. Current relevance and additionality: market pull or need for ARENA support, minimal overlap with other grant-funding efforts in the ecosystem, and potential for acceleration in Australia.

3. Long-term viability: technology pathways have the potential to lead to long-term decarbonisation and have a route to commercial viability.

Responsive

ARENA is responsive to market conditions, technology developments and industry needs. We regularly review our strategic priorities to ensure our financial assistance will have the highest impact. We aim to be agile, responding swiftly to take advantage of opportunities that could benefit Australia.

Diversity

Given the uncertainty and risk inherent in researching, developing and commercialising new solutions, ARENA seeks diversity in its portfolio when providing financial assistance to ensure it is future-proofed and resilient in different policy and economic scenarios.

Accordingly, we strive to ensure our overall portfolio includes activities at different stages of development on the commercialisation pathway including:

Commercial focus

ARENA’s financial assistance is commercially focused and provided to advance technologies or business models towards commercial readiness. We seek to provide the minimum financial assistance needed to achieve an outcome, and in the most appropriate form, maximising efficiency and value for public investment.

ARENA provides financial assistance in the form of grants. Where there is the possibility of upside from a project in the future, ARENA may negotiate a recoupment mechanism that sees some or all grant funding returned should the upside scenario eventuate. In so doing, ARENA ensures that funding continues to represent value for the Australian taxpayer.

2.2 Budget measure programs #

In addition to committing baseline funding to high-merit projects, ARENA uses its expertise in grant funding to deliver targeted budget measure programs[1] including:

Australian Renewable Energy Agency (General Funding Strategy) Approval 2025 #

1 The whole of the instrument

Repeal the instrument.

Note: Subsection 21(2) of the Act has the effect that the general funding strategy in Schedule 1 to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (General Funding Strategy) Approval 2025 ceases to be in force when the strategy in Schedule 1 comes into effect.

[1] A budget measure program refers to a program of work that ARENA has been tasked to deliver with allocated funding as part of a Federal Budget. Budget measure programs are typically intended to support specific Commonwealth policies.

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at legislation.gov.au, © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Compilations may have been reformatted.

Australian Renewable Energy Agency (General Funding Strategy) Approval 2026

Australian Renewable Energy Agency (General Funding Strategy) Approval 2026

1 Name #

2 Commencement #

3 Authority #

4 Definitions #

5 Schedules #

6 Approval of General Funding Strategy #

1 Introduction #

1.1 About ARENA #

1.2 About the General Funding Strategy #

2 Principal objectives and priorities for arena financial assistance #

2.1 Guiding principles #

2.2 Budget measure programs #

Australian Renewable Energy Agency (General Funding Strategy) Approval 2025 #

Defined terms · 1

History · 1 version

1 Name #

2 Commencement #

3 Authority #

4 Definitions #

5 Schedules #

6 Approval of General Funding Strategy #

1 Introduction #

1.1 About ARENA #

1.2 About the General Funding Strategy #

2 Principal objectives and priorities for arena financial assistance #

2.1 Guiding principles #

2.2 Budget measure programs #

Australian Renewable Energy Agency (General Funding Strategy) Approval 2025 #

Key facts