Green Gravity and Wollongong City sign MOU for clean energy innovation

Energy storage startup Green Gravity and Wollongong City Council have announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that establishes a strategic collaboration to advance renewable energy storage and decarbonisation outcomes across the region.

Green Gravity is developing a gravitational energy storage solution that is to be trialled in disused mineshafts in the Illawarra region.

Together, Green Gravity and the Council aim to position Wollongong and the broader Illawarra as a hub for world-leading clean energy solutions.

Green Gravity’s system uses the gravitational potential energy of heavy weights lowered and lifted in legacy mineshafts to store and release renewable energy. The approach aims to deliver a long-duration, low-cost and environmentally sustainable form of energy storage while repurposing disused mining assets.

The parties say the collaboration is particularly timely given the April 2025 NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Beneficial and Productive Post-Mining Land Use. The inquiry’s final report highlighted the vast potential of post-mining lands to support advanced manufacturing, tourism, environmental projects and clean energy infrastructure. Green Gravity’s gravity-energy storage system aligns directly with that vision, positioning Wollongong’s disused mining heritage as a springboard for clean-tech investment, local jobs and sustainable economic diversification in the Illawarra region.

Under the MOU, Green Gravity and Council will collaborate on initiatives that:

• Maximise benefits for Wollongong’s community, environment and economy.
• Align Green Gravity’s innovation pipeline with Council’s Wollongong 2025 Investment Prospectus priorities in clean energy, advanced manufacturing and technology.
• Explore opportunities for employment, investment and local supply chain development in the clean technology sector.
• Enhance coordination with industry, research institutions and government agencies to drive decarbonisation at scale.
• Position the Illawarra as a centre of excellence for gravity energy storage solutions.
   

In addition, the partnership will explore a broad range of collaborative opportunities including joint advocacy for government funding in the region, alignment with regional and state energy transition policies and development of new employment and investment opportunities.

The parties will also consider ways to strengthen local supply chains, overcome barriers to clean technology deployment, and position Wollongong and the Illawarra as centres of excellence in robotics, automation and energy innovation.

“Wollongong has both the legacy mining assets and the industrial demand profile to make it the natural home for our technology,” said Mark Swinnerton, Founder and CEO of Green Gravity. “By partnering with Wollongong City Council, we can unlock the region’s potential as a global centre for innovation in clean energy storage while creating lasting economic and community benefits.”

“This MOU reflects Wollongong’s commitment to fostering partnerships that drive sustainability and economic transformation,” said Greg Doyle, General Manager of Wollongong City Council. “Collaborating with Green Gravity not only supports decarbonisation, but also strengthens local industry capabilities and positions the Illawarra as a leader in the global clean energy transition.”

Image credit: iStock.com/Adam Calaitzis