Victoria fast-tracks Meadow Creek solar and Hazelwood energy storage projects

The facilities will benefit over 200,000 households.

The government of Victoria has fast-tracked two more renewable energy projects under its Development Facilitation Program.

According to the government, Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny has approved a 332-megawatt (MW) solar farm in Meadow Creek and a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Hazelwood.

Meadow Creek’s solar farm is located near Wangaratta and will be able to power around 140,000 homes. It will have a 250-MW BESS that can meet peak evening demand for approximately 85,000 homes.

Meanwhile, Eku Energy's 300-megawatt BESS in Hazelwood will have the capacity to power 104,000 homes during times of high demand.

Since the DFP was expanded to include renewable energy projects last year, the Labour Government has unlocked more than $7.8b worth of investment across 22 projects. Once completed, these projects will collectively generate enough power for more than 700,000 households annually, with the battery storage capable of meeting evening peak demand for 1.8 million households.