How we make investments
Established in 2024 under the Energy Security Corporation Act 2024, we operate as a statutory corporation of the NSW Government. We have a clear public mandate: to accelerate investment in large-scale storage and enabling infrastructure to support a reliable and secure electricity system for NSW. The ESC Board is responsible for making its investment decisions.
We co-invest with private partners in proven, large-scale NSW-based clean energy projects that need flexible capital to reach financial close.
Our focus includes:
- utility-scale storage like pumped hydro and big batteries
- system security and network infrastructure such as synchronous condensers
- scalable consumer energy resources and other technology.
Find out more about our investment priorities.
The ESC Board is responsible for making investment decisions and operates within the parameters of the Investment Mandate to ensure decisions are simultaneously independent, and within the scope set by the NSW Government.
The ESC offers flexible finance solutions, from debt, equity, and hybrid instruments, with concessionality terms available where appropriate. We invest $25 million to $150 million per project.
The ESC is currently looking at NSW-based projects on a case-by-case basis. Before contacting the ESC, please ensure your project aligns to the criteria outlined in our Investment Mandate, specifically 9: Focus areas for the Corporation’s activities and 13: Investment thresholds. When completing our enquiry form, include relevant references in your message.
The Investment Mandate includes minimum and maximum individual investment limits of $25 million and $150 million.
Yes, the ESC co-invests alongside private developers and private financiers.
Home Energy Saver loans
No. The Energy Security Corporation does not provide loans directly to households. Individual loans are assessed, approved and managed by participating finance providers.
You can find participating finance providers here.
Yes. Multiple eligible upgrades can be bundled into one loan, provided the total does not exceed $15,000. If total project costs exceed the loan limit, the household must pay the remaining amount.
You can find participating finance providers here.
Under Home Energy Saver, the NSW Government will soon offer eligible households a discount of up to $4,000 for energy saving upgrades. A NSW household may be eligible for a discount if its yearly income is up to $80,000 or if someone in the household holds one of the following valid cards:
- Health Care Card
- Low Income Health Care Card
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Veteran Gold Card.
- Discounts require a minimum $200 customer payment.
If eligible for both a discount and a loan, the discount is applied first, and the loan helps cover the remaining cost up to $15,000.
For example, if an upgrade costs $18,000 and the customer is eligible to receive a $4,000 discount, they could apply for a loan to cover the remaining $14,000 (subject to finance provider approval).
To find out more, visit the Home Energy Saver webpage.
The customer confirms their household meets eligibility criteria.
The customer selects the energy saving upgrades that suit their home, they can use the NSW Government’s Energy Savings Calculator.
The customer compares participating finance providers and chooses the most suitable. Participating finance providers can be found here.
The customer sources quotes from approved suppliers for their chosen upgrades and selects one.
The customer finalises their loan application (started for them by their chosen supplier).
Once the loan is approved, the supplier completes the work.
The supplier is paid by the lender upon satisfactory completion of the work.
The household repays the loan over the agreed term with their finance provider.
If you are a finance provider, read our Finance Provider guidelines to learn more about how to participate or send an enquiry through our Contact Us form.
If you are a home energy upgrade supplier, contact a participating finance provider. You can apply to become an approved supplier for Home Energy Saver loans through their website. You can find participating finance providers here.