The renewable energy projects will generate enough clean electricity to be supplied to more than 640,000 households.
Victorian government has announced auctions for the projects, as part of the Victorian Renewable Energy Targets (VRET). The auction was initially expected to generate at least 650MW, but after receiving numerous bids, the government has decided to increase the auction to 928MW, which is nearly 45% more power than originally expected.
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio said: “Renewable energy creates jobs, drives growth, and protects our environment – and most importantly, helps drive down power prices for Victorian households and businesses.”
The renewable projects portfolio includes six individual projects and will take up nearly A$1.1bn ($780m) of investment and is expected to create more than 900 jobs across all the projects.
The projects include the 180MW Berrybank Wind Farm, west of Geelong, the 121.6MW Carwarp Solar Farm south of Mildura, the 34.2MW Cohuna Solar Farm north-west of Echuca, the 336MW Dundonnell Wind Farm north-east of Warrnambool, the 157.5MW Mortlake South Wind Farm south of Mortlake and the 98.8MW Winton Solar Farm near Benalla.
The electricity generated from these projects is expected to bring down nearly 16% of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the state’s electricity sector by 2034/35.
Victoria government has stated that VRET will ensure that 25% of its electricity generation will come from renewable sources by 2020 and 40% by 2025. The renewable energy projects are estimated to attract nearly A$9bn ($6.41bn) of investment and could create more than 11,000 jobs over the life of the scheme.
Premier Daniel Andrews said: “It’s simple – greater supply of renewable energy means lower power prices and more jobs for Victorian families. We’re making Victoria the capital of renewable energy and supporting the thousands of local jobs it creates.”
