Apple announces new renewable energy projects in Australia and New Zealand

Apple has announced new investments in renewable energy and forest restoration across Australia and New Zealand, as part of its goal to become carbon neutral by 2030.

In Australia, Apple will expand its renewable energy capacity with a solar project in Lancaster, Victoria, now under construction. Once completed, it will generate over one million megawatt-hours of clean electricity annually — enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes — on behalf of Apple users.

The company also revealed a new investment in New Zealand through its Restore Fund, a joint initiative with Climate Asset Management. The project will protect and restore 8,600 hectares of forestland across four sites in the Central North Island and one in the South Island, aiming to improve biodiversity, capture carbon, and generate returnsthrough the sustainable management of redwood forests alongside 3,000 hectares of native woodland.

“By 2030, we want our users to know that all the energy it takes to charge their iPhone or power their Mac is matched with clean electricity,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. “We’re proud to do our part to support Australia’s transition to a cleaner grid and drive positive impacts for communities and nature.”

Apple also shared an update on its Queensland Restore Fund project, which is transforming 1,700 hectares of degraded sugarcane farmland into a macadamia orchard with over 800,000 trees. The project, located south of Bundaberg, will restore native habitats, improve soil and water efficiency, and create a 100-hectare biodiversity corridor in partnership with Indigenous conservation group W.Y.L.D., linking two national parks.

Launched in 2021, the Restore Fund supports high-quality, nature-based carbon removal projects. Apple says it has already cut its emissions by over 60% since 2015, and aims to reduce them by 75% before offsetting any remaining impact with verified carbon credits.