Clean industry spotlight | Australia
Turning Australia’s natural advantage into industrial leadership
Australia’s opportunity: scale, speed and competitive advantage. Turning Australia’s natural advantage into industrial leadership. The right actions, including government policies, could accelerate clean industry in Australia, support demand creation before COP31 and achieve final investment decisions (FIDs) by early 2027. Discover how Australia can become a clean industrial leader – read our briefing: Clean Industry Spotlight Australia.
Build Clean Now country briefings
The Build Clean Now campaign calls for year on year acceleration of clean industrial projects to become financed and built. Our country programme initiative was launched in Australia in 2025. Sydney was host to the first Build Clean Now workshop, gathering more than 50 senior leaders across Australia’s clean industry landscape, including project developers, federal and state government representatives and investors.
Clean industry spotlight: Turning Australia’s natural advantage into industrial leadership – the resulting briefing – recommends key policy and investment levers needed to unlock demand and create the market conditions to future-proof the country’s economy through a transition to clean industry.
Australia is home to one of the largest clean industrial pipelines in the world. This potential can translate into huge economic and social benefits across the country, while supporting the path to net zero. To achieve that, we need true collaboration between government, industry and finance to create a blueprint that can be replicated around the world.
— Rachel Howard
Director of APAC at Mission Possible Partnership
Australia’s advantages
Australia has strong advantages, with world-class mineral deposits, renewable potential and a strong reputation as a trusted trading partner. As global markets shift to clean industry, Australia’s export economy can move beyond iron ore, coal and gas – building on its world-class mineral resources, renewable potential and reputation as a trusted trading partner. Clean industry can drive economic growth and create new skilled jobs in regions long defined by high-emitting industries. Australia can seize this opportunity and unlock nearly AUD300bn if it moves early and builds scale.
With one of the world’s strongest clean industrial pipelines, the joint-third largest globally, Australia has 70 clean industrial projects in development. But only one has reached final investment decision.
Australia’s Pipeline:
- 53 commercial-scale zero or near-zero emissions projects (MPP Global Project Tracker)
- +17 additional projects tracked for Build Clean Now
- 70 total projects in development
- 15-20 in advanced development stages
- 1 at FID
Clean industry can anchor long-term investment and economic resilience if the conditions are right. Build Clean Now reinforces the importance of predictable demand and coordinated action so capital can flow into projects at scale.
— Matthew Stuchbery
Director, CIP
Australia country briefing | summary
Read the briefing to find out more about four structural barriers to clean industry.
- Weak structural demand
- Financing constraints
- Infrastructure dependencies
- Regulatory complexity
And the solutions to narrow the gap between ambition and action:
Two near-term priorities to unlock FIDs:
1 Stronger demand signals
- Clearer product standards
- Targeted mandates
- Market-shaping mechanisms
- More long-term purchase agreements (offtake) to unlock debt finance
2 Financial de-risking mechanisms
- Government guarantees
- Export finance consortia
- Contingency reserve facilities
- Long-term, affordable project finance platforms
Australia workshop | Sydney 2025
More than 50 senior leaders across Australia’s clean industry landscape, including project developers, federal and state government representatives and investors attended the Build Clean Now country workshop.
Clean fuels are not just an emissions story, they are an industrial opportunity. Build Clean Now helps focus attention on how coordinated policy, finance and demand can turn viable projects into operating plants that strengthen Australia’s economy.
— Alex Smith
Founder and Director, HAMR Energy
