Stawell in Western Victoria is getting a wind farm and battery storage as part of a project confirmed by Lily D’Ambrosio, State Member for Mill Park. Minister for Energy, Environment & Climate Change. Minister for Suburban Development. Back in June of 2017, the Victorian Government signed an Memorandum of Understanding on the deal, but its now all official and construction expected to start in 2018, with the wind farm operating by February 2019.
As part of the project, renewable energy company, Neoen will build a 63 turbine wind farm 20kms east of Stawell. Neoen plans to include lithium-ion battery storage of 20 megawatts, or 34 megawatt hours capacity, in order to provide sustainable, baseload equivalent power to Nectar Farms.
The project is expected to create around 1,300 jobs and is designed to power the expansion of Stawell’s Nectar Farms. The minister claims its renewable energy power source, makes it the world’s first crop farm powered by renewable energy.
Most of the power will be used to power homes and business across Victoria, while 10 percent of the energy generated will be used to power 40 hectares of high-tech glasshouses.
