SEC to build solar farm to power more than 50,000 homes

A massive solar farm that can power 51,000 homes is the second investment of Victoria’s revived State Electricity Commission, Premier Jacinta Allan has announced.

Speaking from Horsham in the state’s west on Wednesday morning, Allan said it was a big moment because the solar farm would be the first 100 per cent government-owned energy generation project since the commission was privatised in the 1990s.

Sweden-headquartered renewables developer OX2 will manage the project’s construction of a 119-megawatt solar farm and 100-megawatt two-hour battery on behalf of the SEC.

The government is investing $370 million into Horsham’s SEC Renewable Energy Park.

The site will be capable of generating about 242,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy a year. The government says that’s enough energy to essentially power all the homes in Bendigo.

“The SEC is well and truly back,” Allan said. “This is a big moment for the generation of renewable energy in our state. A big moment in terms of putting power back into the hands of the Victorian community.”

The premier said 246 jobs would be supported during the solar farm’s construction, including 20 apprentices, trainees and cadets. The farm is expected to store and feed renewable energy into Victoria’s grid by 2027.

In a sign the government is alive to community concerns about large-scale renewable projects – the SEC has pledged to set up a Horsham community benefits fund which will invest $42,000 a year into the local area during the project’s construction, and a further $70,000 every year once it is operational.

Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said the solar farm would operate for about 30 years and construction would begin in coming weeks.

“There will be more of this to come,” D’Ambrosio said, adding the government’s goal was a 95 per cent renewable electricity target by 2035.

Deputy Liberal leader David Southwick said the government should be focused on bringing down energy costs now, not in 2027.

“That’s what Victorians want,” he said. “We’re in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.”

The SEC’s first investment was a battery farm in Melbourne’s west big enough to power 200,000 homes. The government spent $245 million on a major share of that project, which is expected to come online next year.

Reviving the SEC was a key pledge for Labor during its 2022 re-election bid. During the campaign, former premier Daniel Andrews insisted the state needed a government-owned energy company to put downward pressure on power bills.

Get the day’s breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter.