Huge government-owned solar farm to be built in Victoria’s west

A mammoth $370m government-owned solar farm big enough to power entire regional cities is set to be built near Horsham, the state government has revealed.

A mammoth government-owned solar farm is set to be built in the Victoria’s west big enough to power entire regional cities, the state government has revealed.

Premier Jacinta Allan has announced the revolutionary $370 million State Electricity Commission (SEC) Renewable Energy Park near Horsham on Wednesday saying it was a game changer for renewable energy in Victoria and would be 100 per cent state owned.

Speaking from Horsham where the solar and battery project will be based Ms Allan said this was “very much the future of how we are going to power this state and more importantly putting power back in the hands of the Victorian community”.

Premier Jacinta Allan says the farm is a “game changer” for renewable energy in Victoria. Picture: Aaron Francis

“What this means is we’re going to be able to grab hold of that energy, energy that’s produced during the day, store it, and then put it back into the network during those peak times when it’s needed most, right across the state,” said Ms Allan after unveiling the project.

The solar panels will generate 242,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy a year.

“To give you a sense of what that means, that can support 51,000 homes, roughly five times the size of Horsham, or if you need another great regional city as a point of comparison, pretty much the size of Bendigo can be generated off a solar this renewable energy project,” Ms Allan said.

It will be the first 100 per cent government-owned energy generator in Victoria since the SEC was disbanded.

Minister for the State Electricity Commission Lily D’Ambrosio said the project would “accelerate” the renewable energy and “all of this will be owned by the Victorian community”.

The solar farm will be big enough to power entire regional cities.

The site has already been approved through standard planning processes.

The SEC is collaborating with developer OX2 to construct the Park, featuring a solar farm with a capacity of 119 megawatts and a 100-megawatt battery with a two-hour duration.

The project is expected to generate approximately 246 jobs during its construction phase, including opportunities for 20 apprentices, trainees, and cadets.

Once up and running, all profits made by the SEC through the project will be reinvested back into more renewable energy projects.

OX2 is a company active in Europe and Australia that has been pioneering renewable energy projects.

Ms D’Ambrosio said the lifespan of the project was 30 years.

She added that the project would likely be the first of many to help meet the state government’s renewable energy 2035 target.

But, Opposition spokesman for Energy David Davis queried whether the move would lead to lower power bills.

“How will this help Victorians who are being hit by power prices?” he said.

“It’s a shambles and presumably they will have to pump more money into the project down the track.”

Construction will begin within weeks.

She said there had been consultation and planning processes that had been occurring since 2018, but that community and engagement would be ongoing with the private developer pumping $70,000 a year into the local community.

She said the project would also create long-term employment.

The site has already been approved through standard planning processes and with no objections raised by the community.

Construction will begin within weeks and the project is expected to come online in 2027.

The state government said the $370 million cost to build the project would be paid for in the $1 billion budgeted for the SEC for capital works in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Originally published as Huge government-owned solar farm to be built in Victoria’s west