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 Minns Labor 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 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. This program is also converting 11 existing bus depots in Greater Sydney to battery electric technology, building a new battery electric depot at Macquarie Park and procuring around 1,200 new electric buses by 2028.
Transport for NSW is delivering the ZEB program in stages in close consultation with industry, including manufacturers, to provide an opportunity to increase capability and capacity supported by a published pipeline of bus orders.
While the domestic manufacturing sector can’t be rebuilt overnight – facilities like this are the first step towards building things here in NSW again.
This facility delivers on the NSW Government’s commitment to domestic manufacturing, supporting local jobs and local industry to build the public transport our state needs.
