Response to Victorian big battery announcement

In response to today’s announcement that Victoria will build the biggest battery in the southern hemisphere, Environment Victoria CEO Jono La Nauze said:

“At 300 megawatts, it’s twice the size of the Tesla big battery in South Australia. This is a game-changer for Victoria’s transition from old coal-burning power stations to clean energy.”

“This big battery gets us halfway to the storage target we need to prepare for the closure of Yallourn power station. A RepuTex report, commissioned by Environment Victoria, found Victoria can avoid impacts on price or reliability from Yallourn’s closure if we add 600 megawatts of large-scale storage in advance, combined with new renewables projects.”

“It’s great to see the Andrews government preparing for the closure of Victoria’s ageing coal power stations, which are the state’s biggest climate polluters and have becoming increasingly unreliable in summer months.”

“This announcement is another example of how the energy transition will bring jobs to regional areas. We’re looking forward to seeing more job-creating climate solutions included in the Victorian budget in November.”

Further information:

Report: Victorian market readiness to support the retirement of Yallourn power station by 2023, RepuTex, December 2019.