Lithgow Mayor Cassandra Coleman is calling on the Federal Government to expand battery support to regional councils, so council-owned community facilities can reduce power costs and maintain affordable services for residents.
In 2025, the Minns and Albanese governments announced combined battery support for NSW households and small businesses, including a Commonwealth discount of around 30 per cent and a NSW incentive of up to $1,500 for connecting batteries to a Virtual Power Plant.
Mayor Coleman said regional councils face the same rising energy costs as households and businesses, yet council-owned facilities are ineligible for the support. “Power is one of the fastest-growing costs for local government, particularly at sporting facilities, theatres and community halls, and those costs are ultimately passed on to residents through higher venue fees.”
The Mayor said the impact is already being felt in community sport and events. “We have local sporting teams reconsidering the viability of playing after dark because the cost of switching on the lights is becoming too expensive,” she said.
Mayor Coleman said expanding eligibility would also align with recent comments by Premier Chris Minns at the Bush Summit in Dubbo, where he said regional communities should see greater financial benefits in return for hosting the state’s energy infrastructure.
“Communities doing the heavy lifting to meet the state’s energy needs should see money flowing back into the regions. Expanding battery support to regional councils would be a practical way to lower costs at facilities which residents use every day and ensure power-generating communities like Lithgow share in the benefits of the renewable energy transition,” Mayor Coleman said.
“Lithgow has powered NSW for generations and will continue to be central to the state’s economic future. The energy change must deliver practical local benefits, including lower operating costs, stronger community infrastructure and a fairer return for the regions that help power the state.”