Australian state utility takes stake in 400 MW/1.86 GWh battery
The State Electricity Commission (SEC) of Victoria, Australia, secured a 15-year offtake agreement and will invest AUD 43 million for a stake in the 400 MW/1.86 GWh Baranduda battery storage project, co-developed by Aware Super and Melbourne-based investor Birdwood Energy.
The agreement boosts SEC’s mandate to underwrite 4.5 GW of new renewable energy and storage capability by 2035, and the Baranduda agreement will support the SEC’s commercial business retail portfolio, providing stable, renewable electricity to Victorian hospitals, schools and government infrastructure.
The Baranduda Electrical Energy Reserve BESS sits on a 17-hectare site about 310 km northeast of Melbourne, next to the Wodonga Terminal Station and the critical Victoria–NSW electricity interconnector. The battery will deliver enough power to meet the evening peak demand of 200,000 homes.
The 4.65-hour battery will be Victoria’s longest-duration grid-scale storage system, consisting of four independent 100 MW units when it begins operation in late 2028. Construction is scheduled to start in November 2026.
The agreement also marks the first public-private partnership between the Victorian state government and a superannuation fund to deliver a renewable energy project in the state.
Victoria has a legislated target of 95% renewable electricity generation by 2035 and an energy storage capacity target of at least 6.3 GW.
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