Solar is booming in rural Victoria, with construction kicking off on the Goorambat East Solar Farm and the completion and commissioning of the Winton Solar Farm.
The Victorian Government said that once complete, the 250MW Goorambat East Solar Farm will be able to supply enough renewable energy to power every household in the Rural City of Benalla and Rural City of Wangaratta twice over.
The Goorambat East Solar Farm is expected to create around 250 jobs, with significant regional benefits during construction and operation, including a community benefit fund of $75,000 per year for at least 25 years.
The solar farm is expected to be up and running in 2026 and is ENGIE’s first solar energy generation project in Victoria since the closure of its Hazelwood coal-fired power generator in 2017.
The Victorian Government said the 99MW Winton Solar Farm, developed by Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, has recently completed its commissioning and is now providing renewable solar power into Victoria’s electricity grid.
The Winton Solar Farm can generate enough power for 52,000 homes and created 200 jobs during its construction, with support from the Victorian Government’s first round of Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET1) auctions.
The State Government delivered five projects under VRET1, bringing forward 800MW of new renewable capacity, enough to power more than 570,000 Victorian households.
Victoria’s renewable electricity generation hit 39 percent in 2023 thanks to the 82 operational large scale renewable energy projects delivering 5.5GW of energy.
The Victorian Government said that renewable energy is the cheapest form of new build energy generation and as more comes online, it will deliver cheap and reliable power to Victorians.
Victoria is on track to transition to 95 per cent renewable energy generation by 2035, which is expected to help create 59,000 jobs.
Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, said that the state’s future is renewable and the more renewable energy generation that comes online, the more downward pressure is put on power bills for Victorians.
“It’s great to see companies like ENGIE invest in renewable energy generation projects in Victoria following the closure of its Hazelwood coal-fired power generator in 2017,” she said.
Victorian Member for Northern Victoria, Jaclyn Symes, said, “Our investment in renewable energy will help keep the lights on as we transition to 95 percent renewable energy by 2035 and create more jobs and lower power prices for all Victorians.”
ENGIE Australia’s Managing Director of Renewables, Laura Caspari, said, Goorambat East is an optimal project with an excellent solar resource and access to existing transmission infrastructure.
“It also has a great network of near neighbours and community members that we’ve been working with. We look forward to being a part of this community and making meaningful contributions at every stage of this project.”
