Firefighters, as well as neighbours, have raised concerns about plans for a five-megawatt battery being installed on Warrnambool's outskirts, an MP says.
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Neighbours spoke out about the project which is now under construction saying they've had no chance to raise objections because the project was given an exemption under new state government planning changes.
Civil works associated with the battery - on Briars Lane off Caramut Road - began this week with the energy storage system set to be up and running in April next year.
The battery is a first for Warrnambool, and its four 20-foot containers has the capacity to provide two hours of power.
The facility will connect to the existing network and make use of solar power in the area which could be discharged into the grid during peaks times in the evening.
South West Coast MP Roma Britnell said she had been contacted by firefighters and neighbours who were concerned about the project's visual impact and fire safety.
"This is an example of the decision the minister has made on fast-tracking renewable projects," she said.
Ms Britnell said it wasn't about people not being in favour of renewables, it was about the community being reassured all the processes that needed to be in place from a planning perspective were there.
"When the fire brigade has no understanding of what the plan is if there is a fire... it's concerning," Ms Britnell said.
"That's what the neighbours are worried out."
A spokesman for the company behind the project, ACEnergy, said its battery units would be equipped with advanced fire suppression systems.
Ms Britnell said the first she had heard about the project was this week, and called for more to be done to inform the community.
The project has been in the pipeline for at least a year with ACEnergy contacting the Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny on July 14, 2023 about the use and development of battery energy storage facilities at eight different locations, including one on Caramut Road in Warrnambool.
The Department of Transport and Planning advised that based on current planning provisions - which now includes the exemption introduced in 2022 - "a minor utility installation" included a battery connected to a section of the electricity distribution network operating with a nominal voltage not exceeding 66,000 volts.
Proposed battery energy storage systems that meet the definition of a "minor utility installation" do not require a planning permit. However, planning permit may still be required under other provisions of the scheme.
The planning scheme amendment which introduced the exemption was brought in to support the efficient delivery of neighbourhood batteries into the electricity distribution network as the state transitions to renewable energy.
A spokesperson for ACEnergy said the company was in ongoing communication with neighbours and the community to ensure that any existing concerns are heard and addressed.
Katrina Lovell
Katrina Lovell is a senior journalist at The Standard who covers council news and human interest stories.
Katrina Lovell is a senior journalist at The Standard who covers council news and human interest stories.
