Cohuna Solar Farm ceases operating due to fire risk

A northern Victorian solar farm has been forced to cease operating indefinitely after a grassfire was sparked at the site last month.

A northern Victorian solar farm trumpeted by former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to help in bringing down power prices and create more jobs has ceased operating due to a grassfire in November.

Energy Safe Victoria has ordered the 34MW Cohuna Solar Farm at Horfield, in northern Victoria, to cease generating power with initial investigations into the November 20 fire raising concerns about “specific equipment” used at the solar farm.

“The operation of modern solar farms is generally safe, but on the rare occasion we see a fault with specific equipment we will investigate,” Energy Safe Victoria chief executive officer Leanne Hughson said.

Cohuna Solar Farm, the ninth largest solar farm in Victoria, cannot restart operations until it carries out inspections and implements interim safety measures.

“The operator is working to find a permanent solution to help ensure the issue does not happen again, while also working closely with Energy Safe to comply with the current direction,” Ms Hughson said.

Enel Green Power Australia, the Australian subsidiary of Italian multinational renewable energy corporation, Enel Green Power, owns and operates the Cohuna Solar Farm.

In 2018, Daniel Andrews announced six renewable energy projects across regional Victoria, including Cohuna, would produce enough electricity to power 646,273 homes.

Following regulatory approvals, construction of the Cohuna Solar Farm began in April 2019, with the site operating at full capacity for about 18 months.

The ground-mounted solar farm is spread across an 82.5ha site, 8km south of Cohuna, where it generates enough energy to power about 16,900 homes.

ESV has previously investigated the Cohuna Solar Farm for fire risk after three minor grass fires were reported on October 18, 2021, the year it became commercially operational.

Investigations found the fires originated from the solar panel rotational control boxes. These boxes allow the solar panels to track the movement of the sun.

King Valley farmer John Conroy is part of a group of landowners who are opposing a $750 million solar farm proposal on 570 hectares of land.

He said the Cohuna fire was proof of the fire risks involved with renewable energy ventures already in existence including those at Winton and Glenrowan in the northeast.

“If you drive past the Winton solar farm today you will see grass touching the panels,” he said.

“As everyone is aware, a fire on a 40 degree day with a strong northerly wind there is nothing you can do about it.

“If you’ve got electrical components covering a solar farm they are going to fail at times and they will cause fires.

“It’s a matter of when, not if, and the repercussions of it are the neighbours are in the firing line.

“The fire concerns are real.”