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Victoria’s State Electricity Commission (SEC) has achieved a first-time grid connection for the 119MW solar PV array at its SEC Renewable Energy Park in Australia. This achievement comes after the installation of all 212,296 PV modules was completed across the site in late 2025, signifying that all major construction work on the solar plant is now finished, including the tracker system, a 162.5-tonne transformer, a switch room substation, high-voltage infrastructure, cabling, and the earth grid.
Lane Crockett, SEC’s executive general manager of assets, noted that this event is among the most significant milestones for any renewable energy venture. He explained that reaching this point requires completing thousands of installation, construction, and safety tasks, all of which must undergo inspections, testing, and safety verifications to confirm proper and safe operation. The solar facility is now set to move into hot commissioning and hold point testing, a phased procedure that entails progressively energizing and evaluating the substations, transformers, underground cables, inverters, and other electrical components.
The 100MW/200MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) has yet to be delivered to the site, with the SEC indicating that its immediate focus is on preparing for the system’s delivery and installation in the latter part of this year. Once the project becomes operational in 2027, Crockett stated it would aid the state’s planned phase-out of coal generation, which includes the Yallourn power station, slated for closure in 2028.
The Horsham project’s origins can be traced to Victoria’s second Renewable Energy Target auction. Initially named Horsham Solar Farm, it secured a VRET2 contract in October 2022 while under ESCO Pacific’s ownership, being one of six winning projects that collectively contributed 623MW of solar capacity and 365MW/600MWh of battery storage, supported by AU$1.48 billion (US$0.95 billion) in funding. At that time, the project was configured for 118.8MW of solar generation alongside a smaller 50MW/100MWh battery system.
The project subsequently transferred to Swedish developer OX2 before the SEC took ownership in September 2024, at which point the battery storage capacity was doubled to its present 100MW/200MWh configuration, part of a larger AU$370 million investment. OX2 has remained involved as a development partner after the ownership change, with construction formally commencing in April 2025, following preliminary works that began in February.
The SEC’s re-entry into power generation comes after the Victorian government revived the entity, which had historically served as the state’s public electricity provider until its privatisation in the 1990s, positioning it as a tool for advancing the renewable energy transition while keeping assets under public control. The Horsham development is set to function alongside the SEC’s larger Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub, a 600MW/1.6GWh facility that came online in December 2025, with both projects together enabling the SEC to provide roughly 5% of Victoria’s electricity demand when it returns to the retail market.
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