media release
29 July 2025
HESTA welcomes 25% boost to Capacity Investment Scheme
Attributable to HESTA CEO Debby Blakey:
Today’s Federal Government announcement is a welcome step forward in unlocking the scale of renewables investment needed to accelerate Australia’s transition to a low-carbon future.
Australia is uniquely positioned to become a global powerhouse in renewables, thanks to our abundant natural resources and significant investor appetite to deliver strong investment returns while reshaping how energy is supplied.
The 25% expansion of the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) to 40 gigawatts demonstrates a clear commitment to building a strong pipeline of high-quality renewable investment opportunities. We believe this will support further grid decarbonisation, more private investment and continue Australia's progress toward the ambitious 82% renewable energy generation target by 2030.
With $96 billion* in funds under management, HESTA stands ready to invest more in Australia’s energy transition and we’ve set a target to have 10% of our portfolio invested in climate solutions by 2030.1
In addition to the expanded CIS, we want to see the Federal Government set a strong and ambitious 2035 climate target, as this will help give investors the certainty they need to supercharge investment in Australia’s shift to a low-carbon future.
Ends.
* Information is current as at the date of issue.
1 Such as renewable energy and sustainable property. Identification of opportunities has been based upon the Sustainable Development Investment Asset Owner Platform (SDI AOP) Taxonomy. Investments that are aligned to SDG 7, 11.6 and 13 have been included in the baseline. More information available at https://www.sdi-aop.org/sdi-classification.
For further information on these objectives please refer to HESTA’s Climate Change statement https://www.hesta.com.au/content/dam/hesta/Documents/hesta-climate-change-statement.pdf