Eraring Power Station, Australia’s largest, powers about a quarter of New South Wales’ energy needs. Located in the heart of the Lake Macquarie coal belt, this bustling site has been running since 1982, fuelled by the dedication of over 200 Origin employees and just as many contractors, all working together to keep the lights on across NSW. 

The team is as diverse as it is dedicated—engineers, electricians, operators, project managers, and technicians all bring their unique skills to the table. Yet, with over 40 years under its belt, Eraring is approaching the end of its lifecycle. The timeline for closure has been accelerated by the push toward renewables and the shift away from ageing fossil fuel assets. And as we look to the future, our focus is not only on the site’s transition but also on what lies ahead for the skilled professionals who keep Eraring going strong. 

With the Power Station set to close as early as mid-2027, we’ve been rolling out a robust program to support its workforce through the transition. This initiative, called Future Directions, is led by an experienced and dedicated team based on site, offering a wealth of career information and well-being resources.  
 
Origin General Manager, People Separation and Transition Bianca Lowe said, “When we began planning for Eraring’s closure, we knew we needed to take meaningful action to support our employees through this transition. This isn’t just about individuals leaving a business—it’s the phasing out of the entire coal generation sector . That meant we had to think differently about how to provide real support for our people because helping them find a similar role in the same industry just wouldn’t be effective. 

“The Future Directions program centres around three key pillars: clear, supportive communication with employees throughout the change journey; equipping them to be future-ready by exploring options to upskill or reskill; and, most importantly, prioritising their health and well-being as they navigate this transition.” 

Early on, the focus of the program has been on developing individual support plans for each worker, taking into account each person’s unique situation. Some team members are just beginning their careers, while others are close to retirement. Some are eager to stay in energy, and others are interested in entirely new paths. 

Today, 98% of the team have active support plans that outline their skills and qualifications, career goals, and options for growth, retraining, retirement, or further education. Already, 288 training courses have been funded, covering everything from property development and business administration to aviation and teaching. Initial anxieties around the closure are now giving way to optimism and excitement, as employees begin to envision new possibilities for the next stage of their careers beyond Eraring. 
 
“We’ve had fantastic engagement. This wasn’t something we mandated for every employee at Eraring, but we made sure that everyone had an initial career conversation and the chance to explore what they might want for their future. It’s about giving each person space to manage this transition in a way that feels right for them,” Bianca said. 

“Each active support plan is unique, tailored to the individual’s goals. Some are more detailed than others, but every six months, we check in with all employees—including those who initially chose not to participate—in case they’re ready to revisit or adjust their plans.”

We know our workforce is highly skilled and also embedded as part of this community, and we have established the Future Directions program to assist them, their families and the community during this transition.

The post Supporting our team through Eraring’s retirement appeared first on The Origin Blog.

Having first joined forces with the Swans at the start of 2022, Origin will remain the club’s Official Energy Partner and extend its commitment as a Premier Partner of both the AFL and AFLW teams through to four seasons.

The new Sydney Swans HQ at the iconic Royal Hall of Industries, which was officially opened in 2023, has recently been awarded a 5 Star Green Star Design & As Built rating from the Green Building Council of Australia.

The award-winning facility incorporates several features promoting sustainability, including solar panels, skylights and windows to maximise natural light, upgraded window glazing and rainwater tanks. Meanwhile the decision to improve an existing building significantly reduced the use of materials that would have been associated with a new build.

Origin assisted with the installation of EV charging solutions at the new facility to help the Swans make the transition to lower emission vehicles.

“We’re thrilled to be extending our support of the Sydney Swans, as their official energy partner and across both their men’s and women’s football programs, until the end of 2025,” Origin’s Executive General Manager Retail, Jon Briskin, said.

“Over the past two years, we’ve worked together to lay a strong foundation and have seen the Swans take some significant steps forward around sustainability – particularly at their new home.

“We’re excited to explore further possibilities with the Swans around reducing their carbon footprint into the future, and to continue to influence behaviours through sport in line with our ambition to lead the energy transition within Australia.”

For the past two seasons at Sydney Swans home games at the SCG, we’ve created a sustainable, VIP game day space through its Home of the Fans and Good Change Clubhouse experiences.

Sydney Swans CEO Tom Harley said the club is proud to be continuing its partnership with Origin.

“Like many organisations, our club is on a journey to reduce our carbon footprint and make our operations sustainable into the future,” Harley said.

“Origin has been an incredible support in helping us understand the best way to transition to cleaner energy solutions, and importantly, together we have been able to share that message with Swans members and fans.

“On behalf of everyone at the club I would like to thank Origin for their continued support. We look forward to continuing to work together on cleaner energy initiatives.”

We will also continue to support the QBE Sydney Swans Academy as an Official Partner.

The post Extending our partnership with the Sydney Swans appeared first on The Origin Blog.

We first teamed up with The Victorian Homeless Fund (VHF) in 2021. The charity provides long-term, stable homes for people in need, with a focus on supporting women and children escaping family violence.

Alongside assisting with the construction costs for this new house, which will be generously built by Fairhaven Homes, we’ll be fitting the property out with solar panels and provide the family that moves in with free electricity, gas and broadband for 12 months.

Fairhaven Homes will build a fully landscaped, five bedroom, two living room home, complete with furniture throughout.

Our Executive General Manager of Retail, Jon Briskin, recently attended the site for a groundbreaking ceremony, alongside VHF Chair, Colleen May, and Fairhaven Homes Founder and Director, Rodney Radings.

“It’s exciting to see the ‘Origin House’ project starting to come to life, thanks to the hard work and generosity of so many people, including the team at Fairhaven Homes and the Victorian Homeless Fund,” Mr Briskin said.

“The Victorian Homeless Fund makes a real difference with the work they do supporting vulnerable people in our community, and we’re pleased to be able to support them on this project and help a family in need.

Supported by the Housing Industry Association, the VHF works with a range of stakeholders to convert unused residential land into family homes, then transferring these into the hands of not-for-profit community housing organisations to support people in need.

Origin has previously been involved in two VHF builds, including providing 12 months of free energy for tenants. This initiative, and partnership with VHF, is an extension of Origin’s commitment to helping Australians who need support.

For more than 20 years, we’ve supported vulnerable customers through our Power On program, helping them manage their energy bills. And, over the past three years, we’ve spent $90 million supporting vulnerable customers, and we’ll spend another $50 million in the next year.

The post Construction set to start on Origin House appeared first on The Origin Blog.

Completed in April 2022, Origin and the NSW government installed solar systems at 121 local Aboriginal Land Council owned properties in Dareton and Toomelah. Known for their bush landscapes and tight-knit communities, these outback towns also have a significant Indigenous population, with Aboriginal household’s being larger than non-Indigenous households in the area. Historically, social housing has often not been constructed with energy-efficiency front of mind. As a result of this lack of focus, energy use and bills for households in remote communities, such as Dareton and Toomelah, are often high.

With disconnection rates rising in remote communities, this has created an urgent need to achieve energy savings through improved efficiency and affordability by utilising smarter energy solutions, like solar.

What’s the impact of this project?

Already switched on, the solar systems are designed to provide a welcome relief to help ease the financial stress for customers in energy hardship by making their energy more affordable and sustainable. In fact, it’s estimated that these 121 upgraded sites will save these local communities an estimated total* of more than $140,000 per year –approximately $1,165 per household. 

When asked about the impacts of such investment in their community, Pam Handy, Chief Executive Officer, Dareton Local Aboriginal Land Council said, “this has made a significant improvement on energy bills for residents already and has impacted their living conditions dramatically.”   

“The residents have been very happy to see this great initiative and are looking forward to cost saving benefits from their solar systems. A big, huge thank you to all those who were involved right from the beginning through to the completion of installations who made this all possible.” 

Toomelah Local Aboriginal Land Council, Chief Executive Officer Rex Weribone agreed, saying “This project will greatly assist all residents in providing clean energy while reducing costs for each individual household. This program is an excellent example of an on the ground project that can directly help communities.” 

This initiative extends the impact of the work Origin does supporting vulnerable customers in NSW through our Power On hardship program and our participation in the NSW government’s Solar for Low Income Households program.

This project is funded under the NSW Climate Change Fund, this project forms part of the Energy Affordability Package announced by the NSW Premier on 3 September 2017 being delivered by the Sustainability Programs Branch, Office of Energy and Climate Change. 

*based on an estimated energy savings across both communities at approximately 670MWh/yr.

The post Origin delivers solar for Indigenous communities appeared first on The Origin Blog.

When the Origin Energy Foundation started working with Australian charity SolarBuddy, the vision was simple: to help illuminate the lives of children living in energy poverty. Since 2018, Origin volunteers have run SolarBuddy Lights for Learning JuniorBuddy education sessions at schools around Australia, assembling solar lights with students. The result is the donation of more than 8,000 solar lights to help children living in energy poverty study after dark.  

Energy poverty is a global issue with relatively low awareness. Currently, 789 million people in the world are estimated to live in energy poverty or without reliable access to electricity. Even in Australia, there are around 500,000 people living in remote communities without safe or reliable access to electricity.  

This issue primarily effects remote Indigenous communities, where at night streets may be completely dark and homes can go without power for days at a time. 

Research has shown that with SolarBuddy lights, children are studying up to 78 per cent longer and reliance on kerosene and other dangerous lighting fuels has fallen by 80 per cent. Since these fuels are one of the largest expenditures for many households, families are also able to reallocate income towards food, healthcare, education and other necessities. 

In 2021, the Origin Energy Foundation became the founding partner in SolarBuddy’s Illuminating Communities initiative. The program focuses on creating opportunities for young people and providing solar power to communities impacted by energy poverty.  

For some people on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, the lack of lighting means when the sun goes down there are limited options for study and extra-curricular activities.  

Working with SolarBuddy, the Origin Energy Foundation funded the installation of SMART solar-powered LED lights at the Tagai State Secondary College’s multi-purpose activity centre on Thursday Island, where young people can safely come together at night for arts, sporting and cultural events. 

Suberia Bowie, Principal at the Torres Strait’s only high school, said, “Our new solar lighting for our multi-purpose centre means everything for our kids. It means creating the opportunity for them to participate in after school and cultural activities, activities outside of school and on the weekend, performing arts and other events. It really means a lot.” 

Supported by Origin volunteers, the students at Tagai State also participated in SolarBuddy’s Make 2, Keep 1, Gift 1 program, where students make two SolarBuddy lights, keep one, and gift one to another student living in energy poverty in nearby Papua New Guinea.  

Origin Energy Foundation’s Ruth Lee said, “Through this program we are tying together our focus on education with an innovative renewable energy solution, which is a win-win for the community. We could not be prouder to be involved in this program.”  

SolarBuddy General Manager, Billie Murphy said, “Our vision at SolarBuddy is to illuminate the futures of all children and a key way is through education. Our program has empowered and inspired more than 130,000 students globally and we are thrilled to be able to expand this program to more students who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to participate in hands-on STEM learning like this.” 

The post Solar lights up Torres Strait community  appeared first on The Origin Blog.

In the Western Downs, about 300 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, we’ve invested in a multi-year partnership with the Chinchilla Community Commerce and Industry (CCCI), including the funding of a dedicated business manager, to help the community develop a five-year strategic plan and drive local initiatives.  

The plan includes a 20-year vision for Chinchilla to boost the town’s liveability by improving the built and natural environments, the economy, social stability, education, culture and recreation. Importantly, the plan was built by the community itself, including youth representatives, and is now being activated through local events, community initiatives and business programs. 

Seventeen initiatives are either in planning or already underway, including a shopping voucher program, ‘Community Spirit Vouchers’. Started in 2020, this initiative’s seen significant growth over the last year, providing vouchers redeemable at more than 30 local retailers. Businesses and individuals can purchase the vouchers as gifts and rewards, keeping funds local and boosting visits to local stores. Since inception, $37,000 worth of vouchers have been purchased, directly benefiting the community. 

Further supporting Chinchilla, the self-proclaimed melon capital of Australia, a ‘Use your Melon’ buy local campaign was run in 2021, giving shoppers entry into a mega draw each time they shopped at a participating local business. Over the year, more than 23,000 entries were recorded, representing local spend in excess of $460,000, with prizes valued at $7,000 distributed. Planning is already underway for the 2022 campaign. 

The CCCI also support local events, including the One Long Table multicultural food festival, held annually in September and a Community Christmas Party, bringing locals and visitors to town and showcasing local talent, food and artists and supported by volunteers, including Origin employees. 

Our support also allows the CCCI to Chair the Chinchilla BEST group, consisting of local and regional businesses and schools who meet monthly, to work together on identifying and planning programs which help local students find quality employment at the completion of their formal education. These programs include ‘Essential Skills’ sessions hosted by local business leaders to help students better prepare for entry into the workforce, and the successful ‘Ignite Your Future’ tours taking students into businesses, including Origin’s field assets, to see first-hand what their future careers could look like. 

The partnership has also allowed the CCCI to advocate for improved training opportunities to address significant local shortfalls in key skills areas, such as electricians. A standout achievement of this advocacy has been the introduction in 2022 of local training for Certificate III in Electrotechnology, with local students already enrolled, building local capacity to meet future demand.  

The post Helping Chinchilla with its 20-year vision appeared first on The Origin Blog.

Helping more Aussies access solar

A solar system can help you save up to $600 a year on your household electricity bills. That’s up to twice as much as the Low Income Household Rebate of $285 a year.

Origin is an approved installer for the NSW Government’s Solar for Low Income Households offer. We provide free, fully installed 3 kilowatt (kW) solar packages for eligible low income households in the following locations:

• Illawarra-Shoalhaven (eligible postcodes)
• Central Coast (eligible postcodes)
• Greater Sydney local government areas: Bayside, Burwood, Campbelltown City, Canterbury-Bankstown, Georges River, Liverpool City, Strathfield Municipal and Sutherland Shire councils.

The offer is also available for eligible households in the North Coast and South Coast regions.

For households on a lower income, cost-of-living pressures can mean that solar is generally unaffordable. The offer aims to improve access to solar for those in the community who will benefit the most from reduced electricity bills.        

Kerina from the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region applied for the offer to save money on her energy bills.

“I wouldn’t be able to afford solar panels by myself outside of the program,” said Kerina, “and for people in my situation who have bought a home but don’t have a big chunk of money to spend on solar, it’s just great.”

Homeowners with a valid Pensioner Concession Card or Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card, who live in an eligible location, and receive the NSW Government’s Low Income Household Rebate are eligible to participate in the offer. However, they will need to give up the annual $285 rebate on their electricity bill for 10 years. 

Participating homeowners can also choose to upsize* from the standard 3kW solar system to a larger 6kW system, but need to cover the additional costs. And that’s just what Illawarra-Shoalhaven resident Michael decided to do.

“I always wanted to get solar but being on the pension means it’s hard to get a decent system installed,” said Michael. “It’s been a great opportunity to get the 3kW system for free, and I paid the extra to get the 6kW system installed – I knew I wanted to upgrade straight away.

I was more interested in going green than energy-cost savings, but saving money is obviously another benefit.”

Are you eligible?

The offer is currently available for low-income households in eligible postcodes in selected NSW locations.

Here are the eligibility criteria:

• Currently receive the Low Income Household Rebate
• Agree not to receive the rebate for ten years (remembering that you could save up to $600 per year on your electricity bills with solar)
• Hold a valid Pensioner Concession Card or Department of Veteran’s Affairs Gold Card
• Own your house
• Not already have a solar PV system
• Live in one of the following NSW locations: regional NSW (eligible postcodes in the Central Coast, North Coast, Illawarra-Shoalhaven, and South Coast) or Greater Sydney (eligible local government areas).

Note: If you’re not the registered homeowner but your spouse is, your household may still be eligible.

How you can get involved

It’s simple – all you need to do is visit the website, check if you’re eligible, and apply online. You could be one step closer to a free solar system in just a few clicks.

*You can choose to upsize your system to a maximum of 6 kilowatts, but you must pay for all costs associated with upsizing. You will also require a smart meter to be installed. Find out more about Origin’s smart meter process.

The post Helping low-income households access solar in NSW appeared first on The Origin Blog.

Wait, there’s a club?

The Good Change Club is an Origin initiative in partnership with the Sydney Swans, Netball Australia and Melbourne City FC to help bring good change to sport, by working together towards a cleaner energy future. By using the power of sport for good, the club aims to educate, inspire and incentivise sports fans to make small acts of good change that collectively make a big difference.

Plus, the club will look to celebrate and reward acts of good change by inviting people to share their own changes for the chance to win tickets to watch some of your favourite sporting teams, exclusive access to VIP spaces, signed merch and more.

Why was the club created?

Our ambition is to lead the transition to net-zero, across the value chain by 2050, by reducing carbon emissions in our own business – and by working with our customers to help them on their carbon reduction journeys. This is the focus of our sports sponsorships and the reason why we’re providing solar, battery storage and EV charging stations for Melbourne City FC’s new home, the City Football Academy in South-East Melbourne. We’re also excited to be working with the Sydney Swans to investigate what cleaner energy solutions are best suited to their new state of the art headquarters at the Royal Hall of Industries.

Every club needs a captain, right?

Too right and we have three! Through our partnerships with the Sydney Swans, Netball Australia, and Melbourne City FC, we’re working with three ambassadors who are just as passionate about good change as we are – and they’ll be sharing what they’re doing as part of their own journeys. Our captains will also be leading the charge on educating supporters about the small changes we can all make, in addition to helping reward those fans that take action throughout the AFL, netball and soccer seasons.

Keen to join in?

There will be plenty of prizes to be won over the next 12 months, so why not get involved?

Entering is easy:

1. Understand what a good change looks like (see below for some inspiration if you’re stuck)
2. Make sure you’ve read through our T&Cs
3. Head to the Sydney Swans, Melbourne City FC, Netball Australia or Suncorp Super Netball (SSN)’s Instagram posts to enter, and in 25 words or less, share how you’re helping create good change. Please note: comments on the Sydney Swans account will get you in the draw for Sydney Swans-related prizes, Netball for Netball etc.
4. Enter as many times as you like, go wild with acts of good change!
5. Want to take it to the next level? Show us your good change by making Instagram videos or stories. Make sure you tag @originenergy and use #GoodChangeClub

Need some inspiration to get started?

Chances are you’re already doing a few of them and not realising! Head over to our Captain’s social channels or check out our 90 Ways of Change hub for some simple ways you can make a big difference.

The post Welcome to the Good Change Club appeared first on The Origin Blog.

According to new research from the Origin Energy Foundation, nearly 80% of parents were concerned about their children’s education progress as a result of the past 18 months.

Samantha Stevens, Origin Energy Foundation said, “The pandemic has really brought education concerns to the fore and compounded the existing education issues in this country, but parents aren’t sure what to do about it.

“In addition to the interruptions caused by lockdowns and home schooling, underlying issues – like inequality of education for First Nations students and for kids in some regional and rural locations – have been worsened by the pandemic. ”

“65% of Australians believe that students would have a lot of catching up to do on their education as a result of the pandemic and that they will need greater emotional and psychological support in the years to come,” Ms Stevens said.

“Interestingly when it comes to taking action, more than a quarter of parents had done nothing, or did not plan on doing anything about their concerns. ”

According to the Origin Energy Foundation’s Good Education Report, parents of school-aged children had noted changes to their children’s engagement and behaviour and wellbeing.

“As we embark on the third year of the pandemic, parents are wary of a potential return to remote learning, particularly those in Victoria and NSW,” Ms Stevens added.

While 61% of Australians felt that online learning had an important role to play in the education system going forward, many Australians believed that online learning could increase barriers to education for students without access to technology (72%) and that the quality of online education can never match that of in-person education (65%).

In addition, 58% of parents agreed that their children were less engaged with school when it was taught online and 46% agreed that they noticed a decline in their children’s social skills. Some parents also noted a decline in their children’s academic performance (37%).

As a result of their concerns, the top actions that parents said they had done or would do were to arrange more extra-curricular activities for their children (34%) and speak to a teacher (29%).

While in general, Australians are highly in favour of tutoring, with 83% agreeing it is important for students who are struggling with their subjects, almost two thirds of parents said they had never used a tutor or were unsure if they had, and only 10% were currently using one.

“Tutoring is a great way to bridge the gap caused by pandemic-induced disruptions to education, but it can also address the latent under performance in the system highlighted by Australia’s performance in international league tables,” Ms Stevens said.

The Origin Energy Foundation recently funded The Smith Family’s Catch-up Learning program pilot which involved children participating in one-on-one tutoring online with a qualified teacher up to three times per week. After 20 weeks, 86% of students made above-expected progress in either literacy or numeracy. Two in five achieved above expected progress in both subjects. Six in ten students completed the program having attained literacy levels equivalent to or stronger than their year level peers.

“Some of the children in The Smith Family Catch-up Learning program were up to three years behind in maths. That was not a result of the pandemic; that was a pre-existing symptom. The disruptions caused by the pandemic are only making existing issues worse,” Ms Stevens added.

With the challenges of the past two years far from over, parents, however, are trying to remain optimistic for the year ahead.

The chance to socialise with other students was by far the biggest regret parents had for their children over pandemic restrictions (70%), and this was reflected by being one of the things parents were most excited about for their children in 2022 (48%), along with the ability to get their kids back into a routine (53%).

The Origin Energy Foundation, Origin’s philanthropic foundation, supports programs that use education as a pathway to a brighter future.

The post Good Education Report reveals parents concerns for kids returning to school appeared first on The Origin Blog.