“Critical boost” for wind as work starts on 1.5GW transmission upgrade

Work has started on a major transmission upgrade in Victoria’s south-west to open the way for 1,500MW – or 1.5GW – of additional renewable energy hosting capacity, and to ease voltage stability constraints.

Network company AusNet says it has started construction on the Mortlake Turn-In Project – the seventh under the state Labor government’s $540 million Renewable Energy Zone plan to unlock 10GW of new large-scale solar and wind energy capacity across the state.

It targets a particularly troubled part of the state’s grid, where existing wind farms have been affected by constraints, while others – like the 157.5MW Mortlake South project, a winner in the state’s 2018 renewable energy auction – faced long delays to be connected.

AusNet chief David Smales says the project will provide a “critical boost” to wind farms in that have been impacted by constraints.

“This project has a number of benefits, including addressing network constraints, creating jobs, and providing new renewable generation development opportunities in the longer term,” Smales said in a statement on Monday.

Currently, there are two 500kV transmission lines which run past the Mortlake Terminal Station, but only one connects to the station. This Turn-In will upgrade the current layout and connect the second 500kV line.

AusNet says connecting both circuits at the Mortlake Terminal Station will allow a more balanced sharing of power between the two parallel circuits, making the network more stable.

AusNet has been contracted for the job by the Australian Energy Market Operator – which has additional responsibilities for managing grid connections in Victoria – along with construction partner Consolidated Power Projects Australia.

The Victorian government has set out the need for 25GW of new renewable energy and storage capacity by 2035 to meet its targets to 65 per cent renewables by 2030 and 95 per cent by 2035.

See also: Transgrid hands out multi-billion dollar contracts for controversial HumeLink build