Apple has announced plans to expand its renewable energy capacity in Australia, starting with an 80 MW solar project under construction in Lancaster, Victoria, developed in partnership with European Energy. The facility is expected to begin generating power next year.
The initiative forms part of Apple’s 2030 carbon neutrality goal, under which the company aims to match all electricity used to power and charge its devices with 100 per cent clean energy within the next five years. Collectively, Apple’s Australian projects are projected to produce over 1 million megawatt-hours of renewable electricity annually by the end of the decade.
Lisa Jackson, Apple’s Vice-President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, said the company is supporting Australia’s shift to a cleaner grid “while driving positive impacts for communities and nature.”
In parallel, Apple announced a new Restore Fund investment in New Zealand, protecting and restoring 8,600 hectares of forestland across five sites in partnership with Climate Asset Management. Managed under Forest Stewardship Council standards, the project combines sustainable redwood forestry with conservation of 3,000 hectares of native forest.
Apple also shared progress on its Queensland Restore Fund project, which is transforming 1,700 hectares of former sugarcane farmland into a macadamia orchard with over 800,000 trees. The site, south of Bundaberg, includes a 100-hectare restoration zone developed with Indigenous conservation group W.Y.L.D., linking two national parks through a new biodiversity corridor.
Launched in 2021, the Restore Fund supports Apple’s carbon-neutrality strategy by investing in nature-based carbon-removal projects. Apple has already cut its global emissions by over 60 per cent from 2015 levels and aims for a 75 per cent reduction before offsetting residual emissions through verified carbon-removal initiatives.
