The Victorian government is throwing its support behind another major battery project, aiming to strengthen the state’s energy grid and help lower power costs as ageing coal plants near the end of their working lives.
The Baranduda Electrical Energy Reserve, to be built near Wodonga, will deliver 400 megawatts of capacity and store 1.86 gigawatt-hours of energy, enough to power more than 200,000 Victorian homes through the evening peak.
At 4.65 hours of storage duration, it will be the longest-duration battery in the state, made up of four independent 100-megawatt units capable of supplying electricity over extended periods of high demand.
The site sits next to the Wodonga Terminal Station and the Victoria-NSW electricity interconnector, positioning it to store cheap renewable energy when supply is abundant and release it during peak demand periods.
Construction is due to start in November and is expected to generate around 150 jobs, with additional ongoing roles once the battery becomes operational in late 2028.
State-owned energy company SEC is investing up to $43 million for a stake in the project and has locked in 50 per cent of its output through a 15-year agreement.
That investment underpinned the involvement of project partners Aware Super and Birdwood. The deal marks the first public-private partnership between the state government and a superannuation fund to deliver a renewable energy project in Victoria.
The arrangement will give SEC access to more reliable energy supply to support government and commercial customers, while the remainder of the battery’s output will be available to the broader electricity market.
Once operational, the project will also fund an annual community benefit scheme for the Wodonga community.
The government has framed the project as part of a broader push to expand renewable energy infrastructure since it re-established the State Electricity Commission after it was privatised under former Premier Jeff Kennett.
The announcement comes as the government positions energy policy as a key point of difference ahead of the next state election.
The government has criticised opposition plans, arguing that the Liberal and National coalition, led by Jess Wilson, would abandon the SEC in favour of gas and nuclear power, which it says would take decades to build, and would cut billions of dollars in funding affecting regional energy jobs as part of broader cuts to public services.
The opposition has not yet responded to the specific claims regarding the Baranduda project.
The Baranduda battery adds to a growing pipeline of large-scale storage projects the Victorian government has backed in recent years as part of its efforts to firm up the grid ahead of further coal plant closures.
