Invercargill $3.77 m decarbonisation fund now available

A new NZ$3.77 million government fund is being made available to help Invercargill businesses make the change from fossil fuel boilers to low emission energy.

Great South is administering the Government Waihōpai / Invercargill Decarbonisation Contestable Fund in partnership with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), as part of the New Zealand Government’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund.

Applications for the Contestable Fund are now open and commercial businesses within the Invercargill City Council boundary have until Friday 29 April 2022 to apply.

Great South Strategic Projects General Manager Stephen Canny said it was widely accepted that fossil fuels were not the way forward and this funding made change possible. A transition away from fossil-fuelled boilers was identified in the Net Zero Southland Reportreleased by Great South in 2021 as one of the key pathways to mitigate emissions while sustaining a positive economic return for the region.

Objectives of the Contestable Fund are to accelerate decarbonisation of commercial fossil-fuelled heating systems, and to stimulate economic activity and creating jobs to help with recovery from COVID-19.

Applicants will need to provide minimum co-funding of 50% of the total project costs and the total project cost needs to be at least $50,000. The fund is not available to state and public sector organisations, local or regional government or council-controlled organisations.

Information about the fund, including eligibility criteria and how to apply, can be found at www.greatsouth.nz. Further details can be found on here or on the Great South Facebook page