Five Victorian solar farms shut off due to bushfire concerns

A foreign-owned renewable energy company has had five of its solar farms shut down due to concerns vegetation was not being managed.

A solar farm fire near Raywood in central Victoria. Picture: Supplied

The Victorian regulator has ordered five solar farms across the state to be switched off due to bushfire concerns.

Five solar farms owned by subsidiaries of Chinese company Sungrow Power Australia Pty Ltd must stop generating electricity after Energy Safe Victoria raised concerns vegetation was not being managed as required to reduce the potential for bushfires to start on the sites.

Energy Safe issued directions to solar farms owned by Sungrow at Raywood, Goornong and Moolort in central Victoria, and Ledcourt and Stawell in Victoria’s Wimmera region.

The directions followed inspections by Energy Safe officers who visited 18 solar farms in the Shepparton, Bendigo, Kerang and Mildura areas over two weeks in February.

During that period a fire broke out at the Raywood solar farm on February 20, which originated in electrical equipment and spread to vegetation on the site.

When Energy Safe said when officers attended the scene, they observed a lack of adequate vegetation management including insufficient fire breaks and vegetation that had grown too high.

Officers also had concerns about how vegetation was being managed at four other Sungrow solar farms, two of which were inspected during their round of visits.

The directions to stop generating electricity took effect at all five solar farms at noon on February 22.

They will remain in place until Energy Safe is satisfied the vegetation is being managed appropriately to address the safety issues.

Across Victoria 76 wind, solar and battery installations have been built, with another 120 gaining government planning approval and 17 under consideration.

Originally published as Five Victorian solar farms shut off due to bushfire concerns