Victoria, Australia, Surpassed 1 GW Of Energy Storage Project Charging Capacity For The First Time

 

Victoria, Australia, surpassed 1 GW of energy storage project charging capacity for the first time, with peak wind and solar curtailment reaching 906 MW.

 

Victoria became the first Australian state to surpass the 1,000 MW mark for battery energy storage systems. The state has legislated for at least 2,600 MW of energy storage capacity by 2030 and 6,300 MW by 2035 to support its 95% renewable energy target by 2035.

 

At the time of the record, Victoria's electricity mix included 2,101 MW of rooftop PV, 2,172 MW of wind power, and 610 MW of utility-scale solar. Coal-fired power output fell to 2,058 MW, with total demand reaching 3,892 MW, of which 280 MW had to be transferred from neighboring states. Despite the significant battery charging capacity, 276 MW of renewable energy curtailed power that day, with peak curtailment reaching 906 MW and an average daily curtailment of 247 MW.

 

This achievement comes as battery storage continues to set new records in Australia's National Electricity Market. In the second quarter of 2025, grid-scale battery energy storage discharges reached a quarterly record high, reaching a grid-wide average of 162 MW, a 119% increase compared to the same period last year. The state's battery project cluster has expanded rapidly in recent months, including the 100 MW/200 MWh Latrobe Valley Battery Project, which came online in the second quarter of 2025, and the 185 MW/370 MWh Kurangi Grid-Connected Battery Energy Storage System, which started up in the first quarter of 2025 and became fully operational in July.

 

Several other large-scale battery energy storage projects are currently under construction or recently approved in Victoria, including Trina Solar's 500 MW/1,000 MWh Kiva Valley Project and Pacific Green's 1 GW/2.5 GWh Portland Energy Park. The state's energy storage capacity is expected to continue its rapid growth through 2026 and beyond.

 

Along with the record-breaking battery storage project, Australia also saw record-breaking spring renewable energy generation. The National Electricity Market set a new record for instantaneous renewable energy penetration at 78.6% earlier this week, less than 24 hours after breaking the previous record of 77.9%. Rooftop solar contributed a peak of 45.9% of total demand, forcing the share of coal-fired power to a historic low of 21.9%, leaving the total share of fossil fuels at just 22.5%.