- Published:
- Friday 18 September 2026
The Carroll Labor Government’s publicly owned SEC is helping cut energy costs at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC).
The 1.3-megawatt rooftop solar system began operating this week and will supply around a quarter of MSAC’s electricity set to save MSAC around $70,000 a year.
It will help power everything from MSAC’s pools, spa and sauna to the scoreboards for its 10 indoor basketball courts.
The system will generate more than one million kilowatt hours of renewable electricity each year – equivalent to powering around 254 homes.
The solar system is owned and operated by the SEC under an agreement with the State Sport Centres Trust, which manages and operates MSAC.
The SEC sells the electricity generated on-site to MSAC at a lower cost than electricity purchased from the grid.
It means MSAC gets cheaper renewable energy without having to pay the large upfront cost of installing the solar system itself.
The project will help keep costs down for the millions of Victorians who use the State Sport Centres each year, while reducing the venues’ reliance on grid electricity.
The State Sport Centres Trust is one of the SEC’s Victorian Government customers, with the SEC supplying 100 per cent renewable electricity to more than 4,400 government sites and operations.
Labor brought back the SEC after it was sold off by the Kennett Liberal Government, putting a publicly owned energy company back to work for Victorians.
While Labor is getting on with delivering cheaper energy – Jess Wilson’s One Nation-Coalition want to rip up renewable energy projects – putting Victoria at risk of more blackouts and higher power bills.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy and Resources Jaclyn Symes
“This is what our publicly owned SEC is all about – delivering cheaper renewable energy while helping keep costs down at places Victorians know and love.”
“From our schools to our sporting centres, the SEC is helping cut energy bills and putting more renewable energy into the places Victorians use every day.”
Quotes attributable to Member for Albert Park Nina Taylor
“We brought back the SEC to put power back in the hands of Victorians – and now it’s helping MSAC save around $70,000 a year on its energy bills.”