Victorian households and industry could get more reliable, cheaper energy from a fleet of batteries that has been proposed for the changing electricity grid.
One of Australia's largest grid-scale battery energy parks is planned for the state, located close to the Portland aluminium smelter, water treatment plant and existing high-voltage infrastructure.
British company Pacific Green said the project would provide critical support for existing and proposed renewable energy projects within Victoria's Southwest Renewable Energy Zone.
"The Portland Energy Park will significantly reduce Victoria's wholesale market volatility and in turn lower prices, during the transition towards net-zero," Pacific Green managing director for Australia Joel Alexander said.
The 30-hectare site would include four 250 megawatt battery installations, a 500/33 kilovolt collector, and a 500kV terminal station and connection to the existing 500kV transmission line.
The energy storage specialist has also lined up a site for South Australia's largest battery energy storage system, located on the Limestone Coast, with construction due this year.
The battery systems can take advantage of more solar and wind generation, by soaking up excess renewable power and sending it back into the grid to meet periods of peak demand.
By using more renewable energy during the evening and displacing gas generation, the Portland project would cut wholesale energy costs for the state's households by an 3.8 per cent and avoid 66,900 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, according to Pacific Green.
The company said no new infrastructure would need to be built outside the site, so the impact on locals should be minimal during construction and when the park is operational.
The Portland proposal is slated for construction in the first half of 2025.
