The Victorian Government is seeking tenders for the construction of large-scale solar plants, investing $150 million in projects that will generate enough power to supply more than 15,000 homes.
The Solar Certificate Tender will build up to 75MW of new solar projects, with around 35MW of this new capacity being linked to Melbourne’s trams, generating enough energy to power the entire tram network.
The state government will voluntarily surrender renewable energy certificates matching the amount of electricity used by Melbourne’s trams, making the scheme additional to the national Renewable Energy Target.
It will also acquire renewable energy certificates from the successful tenderers.
Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio, “The Andrews Labor Government is making history by delivering large-scale solar projects in regional Victoria.
“We’re using our purchasing power to support new regional solar projects which will deliver $150 million in new investment and create around 300 jobs.
“We anticipate that Victoria’s first large scale solar farms will be finalised by the end of 2018, which is great news for jobs and investment in regional Victoria.”
By purchasing certificates directly from new projects, the government is using its purchasing power to drive new projects to be built in Victoria.
It is anticipated that this initiative will result in a reduction of more than 80,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year, keeping Victoria on track to meet its target of net-zero emissions by 2050.
This solar tender builds on state government contracts that are helping two new wind farms to be built at Kiata and Mt Gellibrand, bringing forward $220 million in investment and creating hundreds of local jobs.
