Competitive electricity supply

Deregulation of Australia's electricity industry during the 1990s has delivered lower bulk electricity costs to businesses.
Australia's industrial electricity costs are approximately half those of Singapore a third of those in Hong Kong SAR, and a quarter of those in Japan.
NSW's business electricity costs are lower than those of Australia's other major states, for both small and large business customers.

Electricity is readily available throughout all areas of the Southern Highlands.

Inexpensive, reliable gas supplies

The Southern Highlands has an abundance of natural gas, providing a cost-competitive supply for industrial use. One-fifth of Australia's primary energy requirements are met by natural gas.
Gas prices have fallen over recent years and, like electricity, are now among the lowest in the world; prices are lower in Australia than in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The cost of natural gas to industry in Japan is three times higher than in Australia. Use of this environmentally friendly fuel is expected to increase so that a significant proportion of energy requirements will be met by natural gas by 2020.

Water - essential supplies for agribusiness

The Southern Highlands has adequate water supplies to support industry particularly horticulture and viticulture and at competitive rates. The area is also a significant supplier of water to the Sydney catchment.

International communications - growing infrastructure

Australia has an international fibre-optic cable capacity in excess of one terabit. Bandwidth capacity is over four Terabits.

The Southern Highlands has Australia's international cable connectivity to the US and Asia via high capacity fibre optic cables secure and self-restoring cable loops.
Automatic rerouting offered by Australian-based telecommunications hubs is of superior quality and reliability in the region.

The new Australia Japan Cable connects the Southern Highlands with Japan and North America.
It has doubled existing broadband capacity to the west coast of the United States and increased by 15 times, the capacity to North Asia.

Wingecarribee Shire Council, Civic Centre, Elizabeth Street, Moss Vale, NSW 2577 Phone: 4868 0706, Fax: 4869 1203 info@SouthernHighlandsBusiness.com

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