Americans get approval for $700m Mortlake renewable energy hub
Almost 800,000 solar panels will be installed across a 1000ha property in the Western District after a huge project was given the green light. See the details.
Victoria
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The Victorian Government has given a second major renewable energy development in western Victoria the green light via their fast-tracked approval process.
Renewable energy developer BrightNight has been given approval to construct the $700 million Mortlake Energy Hub in the state’s Western District, where they will build a 360-megawatt solar farm with a 300-megawatt battery energy storage system.
Backed by American investors, the Florida-based BrightNight lodged plans with the state government in May this year where they aimed to take advantage of new rules allowing the solar and battery facilities to combine at the same connection point.
The Mortlake Energy Hub will be established on about 1000ha where 795,762 solar panels will be installed.
The project will connect to the grid via a new 500 kV overhead line linking the site to the nearby Mortlake terminal station, which is owned and operated by Origin Energy.
An agricultural assessment of the Mortlake project, completed in March 2024, said at the time of inspection an equivalent of 93 to 107 Angus cows and calves and 1331 to 1966 sheep could be grazed on the 251ha project site.
About 580ha of Blue Gum agroforestry surrounds the Mortlake solar farm on the property, with about nine hectares affected by the planned energy hub in total.
“Carrying capacity of the Project Site has been estimated to be around 10 to 12 dry sheep equivalent per hectare. When developed, grazing of sheep under the panels will be part of the ongoing management of the facility,” the report said.
“Thus, while the grazing from the site is a contributor to regional productivity, it is not a significant contributor to the agricultural production of the region.
“Overall, agricultural productivity at the Project Site is unlikely to significantly decrease, with the exception of cattle grazing and about 9ha of Blue Gum plantations, as a consequence of the Solar Farm development.”
In March this year renewable energy projects became eligible for the Victorian Government’s Development Facilitation Program.
In August the state government approved a 350-megawatt battery to be built in the Wimmera at Joel Joel, after a nine-week approval process.
“The Mortlake Energy Hub will soak up locally generated renewable energy and pump it back into the grid when it’s needed most to support Victorian homes and businesses with cheaper energy,” Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio said in a statement.
The project is expected to create 300 construction jobs, producing enough energy to power 140,000 homes.
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Originally published as Americans get approval for $700m Mortlake renewable energy hub
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