The Victorian Government’s $480 million investment in Victoria’s energy grid has achieved a significant milestone with the arrival of 100 Tesla Megapacks at the Koorangie Energy Storage System.
This development marks a major step forward in accelerating the transition to renewable energy and reducing power bills.
Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, welcomed the delivery of the large-scale rechargeable lithium-ion batteries at the facility west of Kerang, and emphasised the importance of the facility.
“Koorangie is a cutting-edge facility that will help Victoria hit our energy storage targets and support our transition to renewable energy by providing stability to our energy grid in regional Victoria,” said D’Ambrosio.
The batteries will provide critical energy storage and enhance the region’s renewable energy capacity by up to 300 megawatts.
The Koorangie Energy Storage System is one of 12 projects under the Government’s $480 million Renewable Energy Zone Fund.
The fund is aimed at modernising the state’s grid to deliver more affordable and reliable renewable energy to homes, businesses, hospitals, and schools across Victoria.
The project will use utilize cutting-edge grid-forming inverters, allowing the battery to both store abundant renewable energy in north-west Victoria and strengthen the grid to enable even more renewables to connect.
The 100 Tesla Megapacks will collectively provide 185 megawatts of storage capacity.
Once completed in 2025, a single charge of the battery system will power all homes in the Gannawarra Shire Council area for over 14 days or all homes in Kerang for over 30 days.
The grid-forming inverters will also allow the battery to replace system strength services traditionally provided by fossil-fuel generators, further reducing reliance on ageing coal-fired generators.
This technology represents a significant advancement in the transition to renewable energy.
“Projects like Koorangie are keeping the lights on for households across the state and are helping us move away from expensive fossil fuels and onto safer, affordable, and more reliable renewable energy,” said D’Ambrosio.