RCR Advanced Technologies, an engineering company based in Western Australia, has received a $2 million grant through the Western Australia’s state-backed wind energy manufacturing fund.
The Bunbury-based firm became the second company to receive funding through the Wind Energy Manufacturing Co-Investment Program, delivered with the help of the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre, on Monday.
The $8 million fund is helping local businesses enter wind energy supply chains or grow their market share. Funding is earmarked to pilot the local production of transmission flanges, key components that connect turbine towers to foundations, which until now, have been imported.
The grant will fund a $5.3 million project aimed at strengthening Western Australia’s “capability to produce wind energy componentry locally”, which is expected to generate $36 million in revenue and create up to 48 jobs over five years.
The funding will enhance RCR’s workshop, quality control systems and workforce capability, with a view toward future refurbishment of additional turbine elements such as gearboxes and drive shafts.
“This will have a significant impact in the region we operate in and offers opportunities for us, our workforce, and the region to adapt,” RCR Advanced Technologies manager Neville Kelly said on Monday.
“RCR is in a prime position to upskill local workers and provide employment related to modern energy sources, while leveraging our mining sector heritage in engineering projects to meet burgeoning demand from the onshore wind energy supply chain in Western Australia.”
RCR is joins Australian Winders, a self-described leader in motor winding services, as only the second company to secure funding through the Wind Energy Manufacturing Co-Investment Program in July.
“RCR Advanced Technologies is harnessing its strong track record in manufacturing by expanding its capabilities and creating new jobs to deliver critical components for the growing wind energy sector,” Energy and Decarbonisation minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said.
“Through the Wind Energy Manufacturing Co-Investment Program, we’re enabling local companies to scale up, invest in advanced equipment, and secure their place in global clean energy supply chains.”
Australia no longer has a domestic wind tower manufacturer, with the country’s last remaining turbine tower maker in Victoria, Keppel Prince, mothballing its operations last year, highlighting the real risk of eroding local capability amid a global shift to renewables.
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