OX2 to deliver AU$370 million state-owned solar-plus-storage site in Victoria, Australia

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The SEC Renewable Energy Park will include a 119MW solar PV plant coupled with a co-located 100MW/200MWh 2-hour duration battery system. Image: SEC.

Swedish solar developer OX2 has been contracted by Victoria’s State Electricity Commission (SEC) in Australia to deliver a 100% state government-owned 119MW solar-plus-storage project.

The AU$370 million (US$240 million) SEC Renewable Energy Park, which will include a 119MW solar PV plant coupled with a co-located 100MW/200MWh 2-hour duration battery energy storage system (BESS), is being developed in the regional city of Horsham, around 300km northwest of state capital Melbourne.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

It is hoped the SEC Renewable Energy Park will come online in 2027 and will primarily be used to supply 100% renewable electricity to Victorian government schools, hospitals and offices.

Victoria’s premier, Jacinta Allan, highlighted the importance of the SEC’s work, stating that it is all about “giving power and profit back to the people”.

Indeed, the project will enable communities in Victoria to benefit financially from cleaner electricity. The SEC, which is an entity owned by the state government, will set up a community benefits fund and will work with the community to invest AU$42,000 a year back into the local area during the project’s construction and a further AU$70,000 every year once the project is operational.

OX2, which was recently acquired by investment firm EQT, will construct the SEC Renewable Energy Park. The developer has recently sold over 250MW of solar PV in Australia; two projects – a 106MWp site in Victoria and a 31MWp project in New South Wales – were sold to European Energy and another 119MW site went to an undisclosed buyer.

This becomes SEC’s second investment in Victoria’s renewable energy sector, the first being the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub. This complex includes a 12.5MW solar PV plant and a co-located 1,200MW/2,400MWh BESS, which will be constructed across two phases and will cost around AU$1 billion.

As reported by our sister site Energy-Storage.news, construction on the Melbourne hub started in early September 2024, with the first 444 Tesla Megapack battery components having been installed.

The Victorian government confirmed that construction on the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub recently reached the halfway point.

Revitalisation of Victoria’s SEC

The SEC previously had a major role in Victoria’s energy sector, being the sole agency for generation, transmission, distribution and supply, before it was privatised by former Victoria premier Jeff Kennett and the Liberal Party in 1994.

This led to the SEC being divided into five distribution and retail companies, five generation companies and a transmission organisation.

However, in 2022, Daniel Andrews, who served as premier of Victoria between 2014 and 2023, and leader of the Labor Party, pledged to revive the SEC as part of the party’s election manifesto to support the state’s goal of achieving 95% renewable energy by 2035.

Last month, the ‘Constitution Amendment (SEC) Bill 2023’ passed the Victorian Parliament. It enshrines the SEC in the constitution and guarantees future public ownership of renewable energy assets.

Lily D’Ambrosio, Victoria’s minister for the state electricity commission, believes the SEC Renewable Energy Park and Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub developments will put the SEC back on the Victoria energy map.

“This will give the SEC the certainty it needs to power on with Victoria’s renewable energy transition, putting the power back in the hands of Victorians, creating thousands of jobs and slashing power bills,” D’Ambrosio said.

Read Next

October 6, 2025
Rajasthan government will develop 500MW/2,000MWh of standalone battery energy storage systems (BESS) with a four-hour single-cycle configuration and extended operational life.
October 3, 2025
EDF Renewables and Enlight Renewable Energy have advanced solar-plus-storage projects in New Mexico and Arizona.
Premium
October 2, 2025
Australia's solar sector delivered a strong September performance in the National Electricity Market (NEM) as the country entered spring, with combined solar PV generation reaching 3,933GWh - a 17.83% increase from August's 3,338GWh.
October 2, 2025
FRV Australia has announced the completion of its largest solar project to date, the 300MW Walla Walla Solar Farm in New South Wales.
October 1, 2025
Adding 32GW of new solar to Thailand’s power generation deployment targets could cut power generation costs by as much as US$1.8 billion.
October 1, 2025
Fortis Energy has secured a construction permit for a 270MW PV plant combined with a 72MWh battery energy storage system in Serbia.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland