Victoria secures 15-year offtake agreement with 400 MW Baranduda battery

The Victorian State Electricity Commission has secured a 15-year offtake agreement, and will invest $43 million for a stake in the 400 MW / 1.86 GWh Baranduda BESS project being co-developed by Aware Super and Melbourne-headquartered renewables investor Birdwood Energy.

The agreement boosts SEC’s mandate to underwrite 4.5 GW of new renewable energy and storage capability by 2035, and the Baranduda agreement will support the SEC’s commercial business retail portfolio, providing stable, renewable electricity to Victorian hospitals, schools and government infrastructure.

Located on a 17-hectare site approximately 310 kilometres northeast of Melbourne, the Baranduda Electrical Energy Reserve BESS next to the Wodonga Terminal Station and the critical Victoria–NSW electricity interconnector, will deliver the equivalent power demands of 200,000 homes in an evening peak.

The 4.65-hour battery will have the longest storage in Victoria, and will consist of four independent 100 MW units when it starts operation in late 2028, with construction scheduled for November 2026.

The agreement also marks the first public-private partnership between the state government and a superannuation fund to deliver a renewable energy project in Victoria.

Victoria has a legislated renewable energy generation target of 95% by 2035 and energy storage capacity target of at least 6.3 GW by 2025.