SEC connects 119MW solar plant to grid in Victoria

Victoria’s State Electricity Commission (SEC) has connected the 119MW solar farm at its Horsham Renewable Energy Park to the grid. The milestone follows the installation of all 212,296 solar modules in late 2025.

SEC executive general manager of assets Lane Crockett called the connection one of the most important milestones for any renewable energy project. He noted that it follows thousands of installation, construction, and safety activities, all of which required inspections and testing.

Project construction and next steps

The solar plant has completed all major construction tasks. These included installing the tracker system, a 162.5-tonne transformer, a switch room substation, and high-voltage infrastructure, cables, and an earth grid.

The project now enters hot commissioning and hold point testing. This staged process involves gradually switching on and testing substations, transformers, underground cables, and inverters.

The 100MW/200MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) has not yet arrived on site. The SEC stated its next step is preparing for the system's arrival and installation later this year. The full solar-plus-storage facility is slated to become operational in 2027.

Ownership history and project evolution

The project's history traces back to Victoria’s second Renewable Energy Target auction in October 2022. Originally named Horsham Solar Farm and owned by ESCO Pacific, it was one of six winning projects.

The initial auction specification was for 118.8MW of solar paired with a 50MW/100MWh battery. The project later transferred to Swedish developer OX2 before the SEC acquired it in September 2024.

Upon acquisition, the SEC doubled the planned battery capacity to 100MW/200MWh. This was part of a broader AU$370 million investment. OX2 has remained a development partner following the ownership change.

Construction officially began in April 2025, after pre-construction works started in February.

Strategic context and state goals

The SEC’s return to energy generation follows the Victorian government's revival of the historically public entity. It is now a vehicle to drive the renewable energy transition while retaining public ownership of assets.

Lane Crockett said the Horsham project would support the state’s planned retirement of coal assets. This includes the Yallourn power station, which is scheduled to close in 2028.

The Horsham development will operate alongside the SEC’s larger Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub, a 600MW/1.6GWh facility that became operational in December 2025. Together, the two projects position the SEC to supply approximately 5% of Victoria’s electricity market once it re-enters the retail sector.

The six projects from the VRET2 auction, including the precursor to the Horsham site, collectively added significant capacity. The table below summarizes the auction's outcomes.