Keeping the lights on & enabling a renewable energy revolution in the Wimmera Southern Mallee
Federal and state governments have an unquestionable responsibility to keep the lights on in homes and businesses. Without additional generation and transmission capacity in the Wimmera Southern Mallee (WSM) area of western Victoria will go dark when the Yallourn power station closes in 2028.1
There are solutions to both this looming generation crisis when Yallourn closes, and the existing power unreliability in the region.
These measures will also enable the realisation of the economic potential of the area, as part of the clean energy revolution, and resolve the cemented-in community roadblock to the critical Victoria-NSW Interconnect West (VNI-West) link.
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Grampians New Energy Taskforce
The Grampians New Energy Taskforce (GNET) has been formed to represent, lead and advocate for the development of a net zero carbon economy in the Grampians region. GNET is working with communities, the renewables industry and the government to maximise the long-term benefits of this investment to the Grampians region and its people.
Grampians Region Climate Adaption
Adapt Grampians is a regional hub for information sharing, learning and inspiration to ensure we adjust and thrive in a changing climate.
Climate change impacts are already being felt across the region and there are many reasons to think strategically about adapting as our landscape and communities are affected by those changes in far-reaching ways.
Adaptation is about developing strategies to ensure that life in this region remains good, even as the climate changes. Adaptation means working innovatively to look after our communities and the regional environment without taking actions that would exacerbate climate change.
The draft Grampians Regional Climate Adaptation Strategy has been developed by Adapt Grampians and representatives from state government, local government, the water sector, business groups, farming, universities, conservation and sustainability, with support from the Victorian Government.
Renewable energy
Renewable energy, particularly wind and solar, is a growing industry in the region, which has ample land and long periods of sunlight.
The Australian Energy Market Operator’s (AEMO) Integrated System Plan (ISP) identified six Victorian Renewable Energy Zones (REZs). These are regions with the highest potential for renewable energy development.
The Victorian Government will develop a Renewable Energy Zone Development Plan to identify the necessary upgrades to our electricity grid. This will enable Victoria to harness the enormous solar, wind and hydro resources in these regions to provide clean, reliable and affordable energy while delivering jobs and investment for our regions.
WSMD prepared a submission to fast track the opportunity for further renewable energy investment in the region. The two new condensers proposed for our region would be of enormous benefit to the whole region and would immediately enable more wind farms to be established.
WDA submission to the Victorian Renewable Energy Zones Development Plan Directions Paper, 2021 (169kb PDF)
Strengthening Western Victoria's electricity grid
This project will unlock Western Victoria’s potential to become the renewable energy powerhouse of Victoria as the state moves from coal-generated electricity to sustainable green power in coming years.
- Currently, much of the sustainable and clean wind and solar energy being produced out of western Victoria cannot get to the electricity grid because there isn’t enough capacity in the existing network.
- There are wind turbines in Western Victoria generating clean power that goes nowhere. Investment in new wind and solar farms is being put on hold – stifling economic opportunity for the region and the state’s ability to provide reliable and affordable energy. This project will fix that.
- It will also create jobs during and after construction, and deliver flow-on economic benefits to the region.