The Victorian government has confirmed the 400 MW / 1,800 MWh Baranduda battery energy storage project being developed near Wodonga in the state’s northeast has been put in the planning express lane as part of the Development Facilitation Program (DFP).
The 40 MW Brewster Wind Farm being developed near Beaufort in central western Victoria will also come under the streamlined planning approvals process.
The Baranduda project, being developed by Melbourne-headquartered renewables investor Birdwood Energy, seeks to install a 400 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) with four hours of storage duration.
The standalone battery would be located on a 17-hectare site in an industrial estate at Baranduda and would connect to the national grid via the adjacent Ausnet-owned Wodonga Terminal Station.
Birdwood said the project aims to store and release energy to complement household rooftop solar and help stabilise and support the Victorian and national electricity grid. It would also contribute to Victoria’s energy storage targets of at least 2.6 GW by 2030 and 6.3 GW by 2035.
“This asset is designed to provide the wider Australian energy market with arbitrage and long-term grid support services,” Birdwood said. “The advanced design of this battery is to be flexible over its 30-plus year life to provide services to multiple customers as market needs and requirements change in the Australian energy market.”
The inclusion of the projects in the DFP means the developers can now expect a decision on their planning application within a four-month timeframe.
The DFP was expanded last year to include renewable energy projects as “significant economic development,” ensuring they are no longer subject to planning panel process and third-party appeals at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
The Victorian government said the changes prevent time-consuming and repeated delays, noting that it has fast-tracked more than $1 billion (USD 640 million) worth of renewable energy projects since expanding the DFP to include the sector.
“Prior to this fast-tracked pathway, more than one in five renewable energy project applications ended up stuck in VCAT despite the overwhelming majority of projects being approved eventually, often delaying them by two years,” it said.
Victoria Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said streamlining the planning approvals for renewables and getting more projects up and running sooner is increasingly important as the state’s coal-fired generators exit the system.
“Renewable energy is the cheapest form of new build energy available, that’s why we’ve cut red tape, making sure it can be built sooner, helping bring down power prices and create great new jobs for locals,” she said.
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