The Albanese Government has approved a new wind farm project in north-west Victoria.
The Wimmera Plains Energy Facility, located 10 kilometres north-east of Horsham, will generate enough energy to power 202,000 Victorian homes.
The 312-megawatt facility will feature up to 52 wind turbines connected to an existing 220-kilovolt transmission line. Additionally, the project includes a 100 megawatts (MW) Battery Energy Storage system capable of storing up to 400 megawatt-hours (mwh) of dispatchable energy.
This development is part of the government’s broader plan to establish Australia as a renewable energy superpower.
According to the government, it addresses the need for replacement energy capacity following the announced closure of 24 coal-fired power plants under the previous administration, which had a total capacity of 26.7 gigawatts.
The Wimmera Plains project is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually, comparable to removing more than 370,000 cars from the road each year. It will also create up to 280 direct jobs during construction and 10 ongoing positions.
Tanya Plibersek, Federal Minister for the Environment and Water said the project demonstrates how strategic site selection can expedite environmental approvals.
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