The revived SEC will build its first Victoria’s first publicly owned after acquiring the Delburn Wind Farm in Gippsland.
The State Electricity Commission, a hark back to public utility days that was revived by the Andrews government in Victoria will begin work on the 33-turbine wind farm in 2026.
The added contrast is the state commission was established in 1918 to harness the electrical generating capacity of the brown coal reserves in the Latrobe Valley, but after being privatised in the 1990’s and then reborn in 2023, it is now looking to the same area as apart of its renewables push.
The Latrobe Valley farm will generate up to 205-megawatts of renewable energy to the electricity grid, enough to power more than 130,000 homes and is expected to be operational in 2028.
OSMI Australia, will be the project developer overseeing delivery of the Delburn Wind Farm while Vestas will be the primary construction body.
The $600-$700 million project will bring more than 300 local jobs and more than $22 million in neighbour and community benefit sharing programs over its 35-year operational life.
SEC Chief Executive Officer, Chris Miller, said the project underscores the government-owned renewable energy company’s commitment to invest in Gippsland.
“The Latrobe Valley has been the engine of Victoria’s power system for more than a century, and we believe the region will play a critical role as Victoria transitions away from fossil fuels towards a system supplied by renewable generation, supported by storage.
“The region not only has an established, high-capacity transmission network, it has a highly skilled workforce with a deep understanding of building and operating power generation,” Mr Miller said.
This announcement follows the opening of SEC’s new Morwell hub in October, a space for the community, including local students and educators, to learn more about the opportunities the energy transition will bring.
It also comes as SEC’s first investment, the 600-megawatt Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub, begins commercial operations.
SEC now has over a gigawatt in committed projects, putting it well on track to achieve is mandate to deliver 4.5 gigawatts of renewable generation and storage by 2035.
