'Cheaper power': Premier visits region to unveil newest wind farm

Premier Jacinta Allan visited the Mortlake South Wind Farm on Thursday, June 6, 2024.

The wind farm is the final project to come online as part of the state government's first Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET) reverse auction with works on the 158-megawatt wind farm now complete - having created 100 jobs during construction.

The wind turbines will come fully online before the end of the year and will generate enough energy for 115,000 homes.

All projects from the first auction - Berrybank Wind Farm, Dundonnell Wind Farm, Cohuna Solar Farm and Winton Solar Farm are now complete - delivering a total 807 megawatts of renewable energy.

This $1.1 billion investment in regional Victoria created 900 jobs during construction including 270 apprenticeships and traineeships.

Pacific Partnerships' 102-megawatt Glenrowan Solar Farm was also officially opened today which will power about 55,000 homes annually.

Ms Allan said by 2025, the revived State Electricity Commission (SEC) will begin taking power generated from these projects and supply cheap renewable energy to every public hospital, school, police station and government building.

She said the investment in renewables meant Victoria has the lowest wholesale energy prices in the national market and from 1 July, the Victorian Default Offer is being cut by $100 - making it more than $300 cheaper than the equivalent offer in other states.

Mortlake South Wind Farm is delivering its own community benefits scheme, which provides funding to neighbours and local businesses through community grants.

The wind farm has also set up a scholarship fund for local students seeking to attend university or TAFE to help them purchase laptops, textbooks.

The premier said Victoria was on track to transitioning to 95 per cent renewable energy generation by 2035 while the remaining five per cent was gas peaking power.

Ms Allan said that was why the Victorian Government had approved Beach Energy's plans to produce gas from the offshore Enterprise gas field, on the condition that Beach Energy make best endeavours to sell to domestic customers first.

Last year, renewable energy made up 39 per cent of energy capacity because of the 78 new large-scale projects that have been commissioned to date - delivering 5.34 gigawatts of energy.

Victoria's strong pipeline of projects and initiatives, including new streamlined approvals pathways, is keeping the state on track to hit its next renewable energy generation target of 40 per cent by 2025.

"Our renewable energy investment is helping deliver the lowest wholesale energy prices in the market - with our position only growing stronger as more wind and solar farms come online," Ms Allan said.

Western Victoria MP Jacinta Ermacora said Victoria's south-west was a hub for renewable energy generation, and it was great to see these projects reinvesting back into the local community so locals can enjoy the benefits of the renewable energy transition.