The SEC Renewable Energy Park – Horsham solar farm has connected to the electricity grid for the first time, bringing the 119MW project a step closer to generating 100% renewable electricity.
The critical development means the project’s solar farm has moved from mechanical completion into commissioning and energisation, which involves safely connecting the solar farm to the electricity grid in preparation for operation next year.
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SEC executive general manager assets Lane Crockett said the project would support the state’s planned retirement of key coal assets, including Yallourn, which is scheduled to close in 2028.
“What we are marking today is one of the most important milestones on any renewable energy project as it moves from construction to contributing renewable energy to the grid,” Crockett said.
“Before this stage, a project must complete thousands of installation, construction, and safety activities, which must then pass inspections, testing, and safety checks to ensure they operate correctly and safely.”
The solar farm will now proceed through two preparation stages, known as hot commissioning and hold point testing. This staged process includes gradually switching on and testing different parts of the solar farm, including the substations, transformers, underground cables, inverters, and other electrical equipment.
The project’s next steps include preparing for the arrival and installation of the battery energy storage system later this year.
The project’s solar farm panels and a 100MW, two-hour battery system will have the capacity to power more than 51,000 Victorian homes each year when it begins commercial operation in 2027.
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The solar farm component of the project has completed all major construction tasks, including the installation of 212,296 solar panels, a tracker system, a 162.5-tonne transformer, switch room substation and high-voltage infrastructure, cables, and earth grid.
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