- Published:
- Tuesday 1 October 2024
The Allan Labor Government is building Victoria’s renewable energy future and investing in critical battery storage technology to help strengthen the grid and store cheaper, cleaner renewable energy for when its needed most.
Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio today visited the site of Fotowatio Renewable Ventures’ Terang Battery Energy Storage System.
The project includes a 100 megawatt/200 megawatt hour battery and grid forming inverter, which was made possible through a $7 million investment as part of Round 2 of then Labor Government’s Energy Innovation Fund.
The project will include 38 inverters and 48 battery containers and create up to 150 jobs during construction.
Grid forming inverters use voltage and frequency control technology to manage the supply and demand of electricity flowing through the network and keep it performing reliably. This technology is critical as more renewable energy is connected to the grid.
Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) Australia has appointed Canadian Solar's e-STORAGE for construction of the project to begin early next year. FRV Australia will also award site maintenance contracts to local businesses.
The Energy Innovation Fund has invested $38.2 million across four projects under Round 2, which will create up to 200 construction jobs, 20 ongoing jobs, and unlock more than $160 million of commercial investment.
Victoria is transitioning to 95 per cent renewable energy generation by 2035. With large amounts of solar and wind coming online, large-scale storage capacity is essential for storing the renewable energy from these new projects to further drive down bills for Victorian households.
Victoria is already the home of big batteries with 537 megawatts of operational battery storage capacity currently in operation – more than any other state. Every gigawatt of battery storage built allows three gigawatt of renewable energy to be connected to the grid.
This project will help meet Victoria’s demand for storage, as well as the Labor Government’s target of at least 2.6 gigawatts of energy storage capacity by 2030 and 6.3 gigawatts by 2035.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio
“The Terang battery is in a strong and strategic part of the grid and will soak up local renewable energy, support lower bills for southwest Victorians and boost economic development.”
“The Energy Innovation Fund has been designed to position Victoria at the forefront of the energy transition, with associated benefits for supply chain and skills development – and that’s what the Terang battery is bringing.”
Quote attributable to Member for Western Victoria Jacinta Ermacora
“This system is another big battery for Victoria – and it will be supporting southwest Victorian homes, businesses, hospitals and schools from 2026.”