West Mokoan Solar

A 364MWdc solar farm and battery energy storage system (BESS).

The West Mokoan Solar Farm project consists of a 364MWdc solar farm and battery energy storage system (BESS). The project is made up of two separate sites, located on Benalla-Yarrawonga Road, Benalla, in the Hume Region of Victoria. The whole of the solar farm covers 713 hectares of land, which has been predominantly used for grazing.

The southern site (formerly known as Kennedys Creek Solar Farm) and the northern site (known as West Mokoan Solar Farm) received development approval from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), now the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) respectively in November 2020 and 2022. Following changes to the concept design, the project is seeking to amend both planning permits to include a transmission line connecting the two solar farm sites and associated design changes as well as increasing the battery storage capacity.

The solar farm will have an installed capacity of 364 MWdc, producing 761,567 MWh of clean, renewable electricity annually. Enough to power 109,815 homes, saving 609,254 tonnes of carbon emissions, the equivalent of taking 253,768 cars off the road.

Lightsource bp will construct and operate the project, delivering renewable energy to Australia’s grid. The project includes a BESS to shift renewable energy to night-time peaks and support the reliable operation of Australia’s grid. Operation and maintenance buildings, civil works, and electrical infrastructure required to connect to the existing electricity network will be developed as part of the project. Once the proposed amendment is approved, construction of the project is expected to provide up to 450 full time construction roles.