Residents opposed this solar farm. Then the government changed the rules
The Victorian government is fast-tracking a massive solar farm near Little River that will have the capacity to power almost 140,000 homes – but blocking the ability of opponents to appeal the project.
Last year Planning Minister Sonia Kilkenny also exercised her powers to decide an environmental effects statement would not be required for the solar farm and storage battery, which will stretch over a 735 hectare project area at the foothills of the You Yangs.
The road into Little River.Credit: Wayne Taylor
Instead, the proponents will be required to provide an environmental report outlining the predicted direct and indirect impacts on native vegetation and biodiversity, and outline how the project might avoid and minimise adverse environmental effects.
“Making good decisions faster means we can fast track renewable energy projects like this one and deliver more Victorians with cheaper and cleaner power sooner,” Kilkenny said.
The site is on Wadawurrung country, about 30 km north of Geelong. The You Yangs hold significant cultural value for Wadawurrung people.
The new solar farm and battery will be just minutes from Kirk’s Bridge, which featured in the 1979 film Mad Max. Other hit movies filmed in or around Little River include The Dressmaker, Where the Wild Things Are and Ned Kelly. Dozens of Blue Heelers episodes were filmed on location there.
Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny speaking to the media last week.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Kilkenny said the 330-megawatt Barwon Solar Farm would have the capacity to provide energy for almost 140,000 homes each year, while a 250-megawatt Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), also on site, would have the ability to meet evening peak demand needs for more than 86,000 homes.
The Victorian government last year expanded its fast-track powers, dubbed the Development Facilitation Program, to include renewable energy projects.
It says before the powers were expanded more than 20 per cent of renewable energy project applications became “stuck” in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, delaying projects by up to two years, despite most projects later being approved.
The project highlights the difficult choices facing governments as they seek to meet binding emissions reductions targets, and is backed by the Albanese government’s Capacity Investment Scheme, which seeks to bring on renewable energy investments to replace ageing coal-fired power generators as they retire.
Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said the Victorian government intended to continue expanding its rollout of renewables.
“We need to bring even more renewable energy projects online to ensure more Victorians can access cheaper and cleaner power – helping us get to our 95 per cent renewable energy by 2035.”
However, the decision to fast-track the project over the objections of landholders and environmental groups will infuriate opponents.
Little River Community Landcare has raised concerns the project could “change the view [of the You Yangs] completely”.
TV star and Little River resident Catriona Rowntree has also voiced her opposition to the Barwon Solar Farm, which is near her family home.
Catriona Rowntree has lived in Little River for more than 20 years.
“This has been the scene of so many incredible movies and productions, bringing in a fortune for the local government,” she said in an Instagram video last month.
“This [is an] incredible area [and] Vic Labor is now considering covering this whole area with a solar farm in its rush for renewables. They are considering all these completely wrong locations.”
The picturesque site is nestled near the foothills of the You Yangs, and stretches over 735 hectares, with the solar farm covering 505 hectares on Little River-Ripley Road.
A native vegetation removal report conducted for the environment department said rare and threatened species, including striped legless lizards and critically endangered grassland earless dragons, could be significantly impacted if more than 0.5 hectares of native vegetation was removed.
Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said: “The Albanese Government is bringing on more of the cheapest form of energy this decade, with our national grid now at more than 40 per cent reliable renewables.”
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