The Andrews Labor Government is continuing to boost renewable energy in Victoria and support local industry with another milestone in the delivery of the Mortlake South Wind Farm now complete.
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio today visited Wilson Transformers in Glen Waverley which has just completed manufacturing a $2 million transformer for the project.
Construction on the 35-turbine wind farm began in March – creating 90 new jobs and delivering $275 million in capital investment. Once complete, it will support 34 jobs and produce enough clean energy to power 115,000 homes each year.
Wind farm developer ACCIONA has procured the transformer from a local Victorian business to help meet the Labor Government’s 64 per cent local content target, which supports local jobs and manufacturing.
The 125-tonne transformer will be trucked to the project site this Sunday night and will be a critical component enabling export of electricity from the wind turbines to the electricity grid.
The Mortlake South Wind Farm is supported by the Labor Government’s Victorian Renewable Energy Target and was one of six successful applicants in the 2018 reverse auction, which will collectively generate around $1.1 billion of capital investment in Victoria.
To make sure Victoria continues to benefit from renewable energy, the Government has increased the Victorian Renewable Energy Target to require 50 per cent of our energy to come from renewables by 2030.
This will boost the state’s economy by $5.8 billion, driving local industry and supply chain development while creating around 24,400 jobs and cutting power costs for households and businesses.
The Labor Government is on track to exceed its target of 25 per cent renewable energy this year, thanks to record investments in renewable energy.
In 2018-19, renewable energy generation accounted for 21.3 per cent of total energy generated in Victoria, up from 18.3 per cent the previous year.
The Mortlake South Wind Farm is due for completion early next year.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio
“This is an exciting next step in yet another renewable energy project that’s supporting local industry, creating local jobs, boosting supply and driving down prices.”
“We’re seeing unprecedented renewable energy investment and jobs growth in Victoria thanks to our ambitious energy targets.”
Quote attributable to the Member for Mount Waverley Matt Fregon
“This project is a great boost for our local manufacturing industry and shows how important renewable energy is for keeping jobs in Victoria.”
Reviewed 30 July 2020