New SEC Renewable Energy Park 100% publicly owned

20 November 2024

The SEC has announced plans to build one of Australia’s first 100 percent publicly owned utility-scale renewable energy projects: The SEC Renewable Energy Park – Horsham.

The new solar and renewable energy storage facility will create around 246 jobs over the construction period, including 20 roles for apprentices, trainees, and cadets, and produce enough renewable energy to power around 51,000 homes.

Our investment will deliver one of Australia’s first 100 percent publicly owned utility-scale renewable energy projects – supplying affordable, renewable, and reliable energy and putting power back into the hands of Victorians.

The energy park will be built in two stages, starting with a solar facility comprising more than 212,000 PV solar panels with a total capacity of 119 megawatts. The facility will be capable of generating around 242,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy a year.

The SEC is finalising the project’s second phase to build a 100-megawatt two-hour battery energy storage system (BESS) on the site. This will make it one of Australia’s first integrated solar and BESS projects with a single connection point.

The project also includes one of the state’s largest grid forming batteries, supporting the transition to a renewable grid.

The BESS will firm up the energy the solar farm generates and store renewable energy to be used at times of peak demand.

The SEC’s investment allows work to start immediately, helping to accelerate the renewable energy transition.

When the project comes online, the SEC will use the energy and storage provided by the facility to supply Victorian Government customers, helping the Government meet its commitment to use 100 percent renewable electricity across its operations.

The SEC will work with developer OX2 to build the facility, which is expected to offset 206,000 tonnes of emissions annually.

The region will benefit from local employment and supplier opportunities, and best practice engagement with First Peoples.

The SEC will also support the local community through a $42,000 fund during the project’s construction, and a further $70,000 per year once the project is operational.

Together with the SEC’s other investment in the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub, the project will play an important role in meeting the Victorian Government’s target of at least 2.6 gigawatts of energy storage capacity by 2030 and 6.3 gigawatts by 2035.

The SEC is investing an initial $1 billion towards building 4.5 gigawatts of new renewable energy generation and storage projects.

Learn more about SEC’s investment approach.