The first battery project has been approved under the Victorian Government’s new streamlined renewable energy planning process, which aims to deliver critical renewable storage capacity sooner.
The proposed $250 million battery energy storage system in Joel Joel, Northern Grampians, is larger than any battery currently operating in Australia.
The Victorian Government said that it was approved by Victorian Minister for Planning, Sonya Kilkenny, with the project fully processed from start to finish under the new fast-tracked pathway in just nine weeks.
Once complete, the project will leverage the existing Bulgana Terminal Station and the Bulgana to Ballarat Overhead Powerline.
This ACEnergy battery will store energy and release it into the grid during peak demand, supporting the integration of more renewable energy into Victoria’s electricity network and putting downward pressure on power prices.
The Victorian Government said that projects like this are playing a key role in achieving the state’s energy storage targets of at least 2.6GW of energy storage capacity by 2030 and at least 6.3GW by 2035.
Earlier in 2024, the Victorian Government allowed renewable energy projects to go through the Development Facilitation Program pathway, aiming to ensure that projects of state significance can get off the ground faster.
The State Government said that Victoria has met all of its climate targets to date, and with a strong pipeline of projects and initiatives – including new streamlined approvals pathways – is on track to reach 95 per cent renewable energy generation by 2035.
Achieving Victoria’s renewable energy targets is expected to deliver $9.5 billion in economic development and 59,000 jobs over the period to 2035.
Ms Kilkenny said, “This streamlined process allows us to bring good renewable projects like battery storage systems online faster so that we can provide more Victorians with cheaper and cleaner energy.”
Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, said, “Victoria’s ageing coal-fired generators are closing and the cost of fossil fuels are rising globally – streamlining planning approvals for projects like this one will ensure we can keep the lights on and power prices down.”
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