TL;DR: The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has announced a record-breaking $9.1 billion in discounted finance for the 2025-26 financial year, driving $19.6 billion in total transaction value and taking its cumulative mobilized projects past the $105 billion milestone. A major portion of this funding is directed toward transmission infrastructure like Marinus Link and large-scale generation projects to help meet the federal renewable energy target of 82% by 2030.
Record Investments and Cumulative Milestones
Australia's transition toward clean energy has received a massive boost from the federal government’s green bank, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC). In its 2025-26 financial year report, the CEFC announced a record-breaking $9.1 billion in committed concessional finance. This strategic capital injection helped drive a total transaction value of $19.6 billion over the 12-month period. This surge in investment has propelled the CEFC past a historic lifetime milestone, having mobilized clean energy projects worth a collective $105 billion since its inception in August 2012.
Of the $9.1 billion in committed finance for the 2025-26 fiscal year, $7.8 billion was dedicated directly to underwriting large-scale wind, solar, and battery storage projects. These funds are vital to accelerating generation deployment as Australia races to meet its federal renewable energy target of 82% renewables by 2030. The remaining portion of the year's budget was allocated to advancing energy efficiency initiatives and low-emissions technology programs across the country.
Transmission Infrastructure and the Rewiring the Nation Fund
Building generation is only one part of the transition; connecting new wind and solar farms to urban load centers requires a major overhaul of the national grid. To address this, the CEFC utilizes the $19 billion Rewiring the Nation (RTN) fund to finance critical transmission infrastructure, which is necessary to support renewable deployment and phase out aging coal-fired power stations. Over the 2025-26 financial year, the CEFC committed $7.2 billion to transmission and grid projects.
The largest single commitment in the history of the green bank was a record $3.8 billion concessional loan allocated to Stage 1 of the Marinus Link project. Marinus Link is a $5 billion undersea electricity and data interconnector designed to run across the Bass Strait, linking Victoria’s Latrobe Valley with north-west Tasmania. This 705MW stage has officially reached financial close due to the CEFC's concessional funding, which will help lower grid integration costs for energy consumers.
To support this connection, the CEFC also committed $1.2 billion through the RTN fund to Stage 1 of the North West Transmission Developments. This project, based on the Tasmanian side of the interconnector, will strengthen the local Tasmanian grid and safely connect it to the undersea link.
Underwriting Large-Scale Wind, Solar, and Storage Projects
In addition to grid infrastructure, the CEFC has stepped in to support Australia's large-scale wind industry, providing critical financing to reverse a recent slowdown in project commencements. Over the past financial year, the green bank lent $247 million to three of the four major wind projects that successfully reached financial close in December 2025.
In total, the CEFC committed more than $340 million directly to utility-scale wind, solar, and battery storage systems over the full financial year. This targeted investment supported the addition of 1.2GW of new clean energy capacity to the Australian grid, ensuring a steady stream of clean power is available to replace exiting coal units.
While projects like Marinus Link and local wind farms face regional economic and environmental debates, the CEFC’s low-interest loans act as a crucial financial buffer, protecting consumers from high energy network costs while keeping Australia on track to meet its 2030 climate goals.
Key Takeaways
- Green Bank Milestone: The CEFC has surpassed $105 billion in mobilized clean energy projects since its launch in August 2012.
- Record Investment: The CEFC committed a record $9.1 billion in concessional finance during the 2025-26 financial year, supporting a total transaction value of $19.6 billion.
- Grid Reinforcement: Through the Rewiring the Nation fund, $7.2 billion was committed to transmission, including a record $3.8 billion loan for the Marinus Link undersea interconnector and $1.2 billion for Tasmanian grid upgrades.
- Wind and Solar Support: Over $340 million was committed to large-scale generation and storage projects, adding 1.2GW of new capacity to the national grid and supporting critical wind projects reaching financial close in late 2025.
