Australia's SEC Signs 10-Year Offtake Agreement for 102 MW Energy Storage Project

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 2, the State Electricity Commission (SEC), a state-owned energy enterprise of Victoria, Australia, announced that it had reached a 10-year power offtake agreement with the parties associated with the Glenrowan solar farm, incorporating the existing solar farm and its supporting battery energy storage project into a new power supply arrangement. The agreement covers a newly added 102 MW battery energy storage system, aimed at enhancing the flexibility of Victoria's power supply and providing storage and dispatch support for renewable energy electricity. This agreement will replace the previous offtake arrangement for the solar farm.

The Glenrowan solar farm is located in Victoria and is owned and operated by Pacific Partnerships. It has an existing solar installed capacity of 130 MWdc and began operation in May 2024. The energy storage facility included in this offtake agreement, named Chivers Road BESS, is planned to be built within the existing site of the solar farm, adopting a behind-the-meter energy storage configuration and operating in coordination with the solar power generation facilities. According to the project's published parameters, the energy storage system has a power rating of 102 MW and a maximum discharge duration of 4 hours; based on power and duration, its corresponding storage capacity is approximately 408 MWh.

The project's technical solution includes containerized battery units, inverters, cooling systems, auxiliary control and monitoring equipment, as well as fire suppression and harmonic filtering facilities. The energy storage system is planned to connect to the solar farm's existing 33 kV switchgear, utilizing the existing electrical connection facilities on site to reduce the need for additional interconnection facilities. By combining battery energy storage with solar power generation, the project can store part of the electricity when solar generation is abundant and schedule subsequent output according to power system demand.

The Chivers Road BESS obtained Victorian planning permission on May 28, 2026. The applicant is Pacific Partnerships Pty Limited, and the planning application number is PA2504037. However, obtaining planning permission does not mean the project has started construction. According to information published by SEC, the project will proceed with construction after financial close is completed. The equipment supplier, EPC contractor, and specific commercial operation date have not yet been announced.

This 10-year offtake agreement incorporates the solar farm and the newly added energy storage facility into a unified power procurement arrangement, enabling SEC to obtain solar power generation and energy storage regulation capacity through a long-term contract. For the project developer, the long-term offtake arrangement also provides a commercial cooperation basis for the project's subsequent financing and construction. SEC currently supplies electricity to more than 4,400 sites in Victoria, and its power supply scale accounts for approximately 5% of the state's demand. The subsequent construction progress of the Glenrowan solar-plus-storage project will affect the time when this agreement is converted into actual power supply capacity.