The South Coast is set to become a new manufacturing hub for the next generation of public transport with the creation of a brand-new electric bus manufacturing facility in Nowra.
Australian owned bus manufacturer, Foton Mobility Distribution, is set to build a 6,000 square metre manufacturing facility in South Nowra from late 2025, subject to council approval.
This follows the NSW Government awarding a contract to Foton to deliver 126 battery electric buses that will be built in Nowra and service bus routes across Greater Sydney.
“The offshoring of public transport by the former government was a complete disaster, which is why we’re building these buses here in NSW – creating local jobs and public transport that works,” said Premier, Chris Minns.
“This state of the art facility in Nowra will create ongoing skilled jobs in regional NSW while also delivering emissions free world class public transport for the people of our state.
“Workers across NSW are great at building public transport like these buses, and under our government they’re building them here again.”
The Nowra facility will also produce battery electric trucks, as well as hydrogen fuel cell engines, creating around 100 ongoing quality, skilled manufacturing jobs for local workers.
Foton’s bus contract was one of the first bus orders made through the NSW Government’s Zero Emission Buses (ZEB) program.
“Once our partners at Foton get this plant up and running there will be an extra 100 quality manufacturing jobs right here. That’s great news for Nowra and a big boost for NSW manufacturing,” said NSW Minister for Transport, Jo Haylen.
“We want our local manufacturers and suppliers have good opportunities to get involved in building the Zero Emissions Buses that we need. That’s why we have structured our zero-emissions bus program in a way that builds our bus manufacturing capacity for the long term.”
Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement Courtney Houssos said the new facility will show off the high-quality products that NSW workers and businesses can deliver.
“The previous government sent contracts like this offshore, costing NSW thousands of jobs and billions of dollars. We are choosing to support local jobs and local businesses,” she said.
“By leveraging the power of government contracts like this, we can rebuild local industries, support local workers and grow the NSW economy, particularly in regional communities.
“This is an important milestone as we deliver on our pledge to bring domestic manufacturing back to NSW.”
