Victoria is reinforcing its position as a leader in renewable energy with the State Electricity Commission’s (SEC) second investment – the $370 million SEC Renewable Energy Park in Horsham.
The massive solar farm and battery will be one of Australia’s first 100% publicly owned utility-scale renewable energy projects, and the first 100% state government-owned energy generator in Victoria.
The Park will be capable of generating 242,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy a year, enough to power 51,000 homes.
In partnership with global developer OX2, the Park will be built in two-stages: a 119-megawatt solar farm and a 100-megawatt two-hour battery. Around 246 jobs will be created during construction, including 20 apprentices, trainees, and cadets.
The battery storage will allow more renewable generation to come online by storing power until it’s ready to be fed into the grid during high demand.
The SEC Renewable Energy Park will come online in 2027, providing energy and storage to Victorian Government schools, hospitals and offices, helping the Government meet its commitment to use 100% renewable electricity across its operations.
This project marks the second investment by the SEC, from the initial $1 billion invested by the Victorian Government to accelerate Victoria’s renewable energy build and deliver 4.5 gigawatts of new renewable energy and storage projects – enough to power more than 1.5 million homes.
Construction on the SEC’s first investment – the 600-megawatt Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub, is at the halfway point and on track to be connected to the grid in 2025, storing enough electricity to power up to 200,000 homes during peak periods
The project will assist in meeting the Victorian Government’s target of at least 2.6 gigawatts of energy storage capacity by 2030 and 6.3 gigawatts by 2035. Once operational, all profits made by the SEC will be reinvested back into renewable energy projects – growing the state’s battery storage, wind and solar farms.
Victoria is leading Australia’s clean energy transition and offers unparalleled opportunities for businesses to invest in innovative clean energy projects.
Learn about the opportunities available in Victoria’s clean energy sector.
