By Bronwyn Hastings

The State Electricity Commission’s Horsham Renewable Energy Park celebrated a milestone 212,296 solar panels installed with a site visit by Energy and Resources Minister Lily D’Ambrosio last week. 

A year after turning the sod at the first completely government-owned energy project in the past 30 years, Ms D’Ambrosio was also on site for the delivery of a 162.5-tonne transformer, which connects the park to the grid.

She said more than 200 people had been employed in the park’s construction and several local businesses had benefited.

“This is a great story, and it’s not a story that’s finished yet,” she said.

“We’re also going to see the new big 100-megawatt battery that will soon come and sit inside this energy park that will enable the solar farm to do everything that we want it to do. 

“And that is not just create that cheap, renewable electricity that will help to power more than 51,000 homes, businesses, and farms in the local community, it will also work with the battery that will soak up the cheap, renewable electricity during the day, especially when the solar is working at its full strength, storing that energy when it’s not needed in the grid, storing it when the price is really cheap, then releasing that energy into the grid later during the day.”

Ms D’Ambrosio said the beauty of such technology was the scope for more renewable-energy generation projects to be built.

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“The solar farm with the battery enables greater capacity of the existing transmission infrastructure to be able to connect a further 180 megawatts of new-build, renewable-energy projects,” she said.

“We know that as our generators are ageing and they are closing, it is vital for new projects and new sources of electricity to be built. 

“When we think about the cheapest way to do that, it’s renewable energy. 

“In fact that, with storage technologies, is still the cheapest way to build new energy supply globally, and of course here in Victoria.”

Slow down

A small group of protesters, including Kalkee farmer Fletcher Mills, manned signs and flags at the park’s gate.

He said renewable projects needed to slow down to allow for proper processing.

“Pushing through all the transmission lines that are cutting farms in half, pushing turbines that have got asbestos in the brake lining, and what’s the rehabilitation in 20 years’ time?,” he said.

“It’s all just rushed in – slow it all down and do some proper processing.”

Ms D’Ambrosio said the solar park was across four landholdings and had the support of those landholders, and the site was chosen to ensure the delivery of energy while avoiding agricultural land.

“The plans have evolved around identifying the areas that are best placed to host renewable projects, and of course how they are all interconnected to make sure the electricity can go to where it’s needed at the right time,” she said.

“The planning around that has had, at its very heart, the avoidance of that really important agricultural land. 

“So when you have a look at VicGrid, which is an agency that has done the planning for where the renewable energy zones are, there’s been a lot of consultation, a lot of discussions, engagement, meaningful ones, constructive ones, with the VFF on behalf of their members, but also regional communities and councils.

“They have worked very hard to ensure there is great protection for that really important agricultural land, and areas that have been identified as potential sites for renewable energy projects.

“It does enable the coexistence of more than one land use, and that’s a really important part of this.”

Ms D’Ambrosio said any private landholder who did not want to host a renewable energy project did not have to.

“I am aware there are a number of members within the farming community especially that are very anxious about the rollout of energy projects and transmission,” she said.

“We are taking great care to work with those landholders and the farmers to understand and accommodate the concerns they have in a way that is as respectful as it ought to be, and we’ll continue to do that.”

SEC output

SEC assets executive general manager Lane Crockett said as well as the 212,296 solar panels already installed and the 162-tonne transformer, there were 36 inverters and more than 100 kilometres of cable that interconnected the facilities at the solar park.

“Ultimately then we connect across the road to the Horsham terminal station,” he said.

“A battery pad is being prepared, and with further works around foundations, we’ll be ready to receive the battery packs mid-next year.”

The park is expected to commence commercial operation in 2027.

Mine meeting

Horsham Rural City Council used Ms D’Ambrosio’s visit to set up a meeting about the proposed Avonbank mine.

Mayor Brian Klowss attended the visit, and said council’s role was to advocate for the community, and council wanted to discuss concerns about the Avonbank mine.

“The minister was very open to a meeting, which is welcome, as we need to keep communicating about our concerns,” he said.

Cr Klowss also welcomed the increase to the SEC’s community benefit fund, which will increase to $100,000 a year, indexed for CPI, funding a total of $3-million in local projects, initiatives and services for the 30-year operational life of the project.

“However, we still ask, what is the legacy project for the city from the energy park? The SEC Renewable Energy Park is a $370-million project. We believe it should be a strong and visible contributor to our local economy and leave a sustainable legacy for the community of Horsham,” Cr Klowss said.

“It is without doubt a landmark project and a significant step towards a sustainable future for Horsham and Victoria. Council will work to ensure our local community shares in the project’s lasting benefits.” 

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