Australia's Green Bank Tops US$75 Billion in Investment

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

Summary

With a record year of investment in green energy, Australia's "green bank," the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), is celebrating driving more than AUD$105 billion (US$75 billion) in total project investment since its inception in August 2012.

A Record Year

Australia's "green bank," the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), has announced a record year in renewable energy investment for 2025-26. 

From August 2025 to August 2026, the bank reported committing a record AUD$9.1 billion (US$6.4 million) in discounted finance over the 2025-26 financial year, helping to drive AUD$19.6 billion (US$13.8 million) in total transaction value. The strong year helped it top AUD$105 billion (US$75 billion) in combined government and private investment over its 14 years of operation. According to Industrial Info Resources data, there are more than 630 active renewable energy projects in the country worth US$392 billion in investment. Renewables contributed 39.5% of total electricity generation in 2025 and has tripled in size over the last 10 years. 

Record Year for Green Investment

In the 2025-26 year, the bulk of the investment, AUD$7.8 billion (US$5.5 million), was committed to wind, solar and storage projects. The greater funding comes as the country seeks to hit its ambitious target of 82% renewable electricity by 2030. It has a stated goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 43% below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. 

Turbulent Year on the Global Energy Front

CEFC Chief Executive Officer Ian Learmonth said: "The past year has been a defining one for Australia's transition to net zero. Global energy markets have again highlighted the importance of reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and accelerating the shift to clean, renewable energy and electrified transport. While emissions reduction remains at the heart of the CEFC mission, recent events have reinforced that the clean energy transition is also about reducing costs, building a stronger, more resilient economy, improving energy security and creating long-term economic opportunity."

Rewiring The Nation

The Rewiring the Nation (RTN) initiative formed a core part of the CEFC's investment in the past year. The strategy involves modernising the country's ageing grid, which was designed for centralised coal-powered generation, not widely dispersed solar and wind power. The CEFC committed AUD$3.8 billion through the RTN Fund to support the construction of Stage 1 of Marinus Link, a 750-megawatt (MW) undersea and underground electricity and data interconnector between the island state of Tasmania and Victoria's Latrobe Valley. Industrial Info Resources is tracking a related project worth US$1.5 billion in investment. It includes high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables, fibre optic cables, a communications station, and converter stations at each end. The cables span 345 kilometers (km), comprising 255 km of undersea cables across Bass Strait and 90 km of underground cables in Gippsland, Victoria. When complete it will have a capacity of 1,500 MW, enough to power 1.5 million homes and will have three times the capacity of the existing Tasmania-Victoria interconnector, Basslink. 

Key Takeaways

• Australia's "green bank," the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), has announced a record year in renewable energy investment for 2025-26. 
• Industrial Info Resources is tracking more than 630 active renewable energy projects in the country worth US$392 billion in investment.
• One of the largest infrastructure projects supported was the Marinus Link, a 750-megawatt (MW) undersea and underground electricity and data interconnector between the island state of Tasmania and Victoria's Latrobe Valley. 

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).