The Clean Technology Food and Foundries Investment Program is a $200 million competitive, merit-based grants program that supports Australian food and foundry manufacturers to invest in energy-efficient capital equipment and low-emission technologies, processes and products. The program will provide funding over a six-year period from 2011-12 to 2016-17. The program is administered by AusIndustry.
Eligible projects must improve the carbon and energy efficiency of the applicant’s manufacturing process. Eligible project activities are capital investment and associated implementation activities that generate carbon and energy savings through:
- Replacement or modification of existing manufacturing plant, equipment and processes
- Changes to energy sources for the existing or replacement manufacturing plant or processes.
A total of $47.3 million in grants has been awarded for a range of energy efficiency measures in the food and foundry sectors. These include a number of vegetable processing companies:
♦ Simplot Australia Pty Limited ($331,428)
♦ Edlyn Foods Pty Ltd ($33,239)
♦ Kagome Foods Australia Pty Ltd ($374,950)
♦ D.T.R. Holdings Pty Ltd ($300,000)
The food-processing sector of the vegetable industry has the opportunity to improve its energy efficiency and cut costs by accessing support under this program.