Following Victoria’s first renewable energy auction, the state is now set to generate more than 900 megawatts (MW) of new clean energy and drive down energy prices for Victorian households.
The auction, which forms a part of the Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET), was initially expected to deliver at least 650MW of renewable energy, but that goal was overpassed very early on. The auction instead delivered 928MW of renewable energy – almost 45 per cent more power than originally anticipated.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Energy Lily D’Ambrosio this morning announced the six successful projects that will produce enough electricity to power approximately 646,000 households. Together they said that these projects will generate $1.1 billion of economic investment in regional Victoria and create over 900 jobs, including 270 apprenticeships and traineeships.
The winning projects include:
- Berrybank Wind Farm west of Geelong, which will produce 180MW
- Carwarp Solar Farm south of Mildura, which will produce 121.6MW
- Cohuna Solar Farm north-west of Echuca, which will produce 34.2MW
- Dundonnell Wind Farm north-east of Warrnambool, which will produce 336MW
- Mortlake South Wind Farm south of Mortlake, which will produce 157.5MW
- Winton Solar Farm near Benalla, which will produce 98.8MW
The 928MW of power produced by these projects is expected to drive a 16 per cent reduction in Victoria’s electricity sector greenhouse gas emissions by 2034/35.
In 2016 the Victorian Government committed to Victorian renewable energy generation targets designed to ensure that 25 per cent of the state’s electricity generation comes from renewable sources by 2020, and 40 per cent by 2025. It is now expected the targets will drive around $9 billion of investment and create more than 11,000 jobs over the life of the scheme.
Premier Daniel Andrew said that it was simple – greater supply of renewable energy means lower power prices and more jobs for Victorian families.
“We’re making Victoria the capital of renewable energy and supporting the thousands of local jobs it creates,” he said.
Environment Victoria welcomed the release of the first Victorian Renewable Energy Target auction results, labelling it a major step in Victoria’s transition to a zero-carbon economy.
“Today’s announcement is a decisive step towards making Victoria Australia’s renewable energy heartland. This is the largest clean energy auction result we’ve seen to date in Australia,” said Environment Victoria CEO Mark Wakeham.
“We’re particularly pleased that the Andrews government has decided to grasp the opportunity to build more energy than originally planned. Victoria has the most polluting power supply in the country, so we need to be taking the largest steps to bring on renewables as quickly as possible.”
More information on Victoria’s renewable energy targets can be found here.
