Australia’s Victorian government has approved four new energy projects worth a combined AU$2.4 billion (US$1.71 billion) via its Development Facilitation Program (DFP), including 1,390MW of battery energy storage.
The approvals, which span three standalone battery storage systems and a wind-plus-storage site, bring the cumulative value of projects fast-tracked through the DFP to more than AU$11 billion across more than 30 projects since the programme was expanded to include renewable energy development two years ago.
The largest of the four projects is the AU$1.3 billion Morwell battery energy storage system (BESS) in the Latrobe Valley, developed by TagEnergy, which acquired the project from Australian developer Ace Power in mid-2025.
The project will be configured at 1,000MW/4,000MWh, making it a 4-hour duration system connecting to the 500kV Hazelwood Terminal Station near Morwell.
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Meanwhile, the AU$600 million Nine Mile BESS near Geelong is being developed by Pacific Green in partnership with Green Switch Energy as a two-stage project. The facility comprises two co-located battery storage systems. Stage 1 is sized at 250MW/500MWh, whilst Stage 2 will expand this to 4-hours (1,000MWh).
The Nine Mile Energy Park development website confirms construction is expected to begin no earlier than late 2026, subject to grid connection approvals, procurement and financial close.
The AU$388 million Gelliondale Wind Farm in Gippsland, developed by Synergy Wind, is backed by a group of German investors and comprises 13 turbines with a total generation capacity of 80MW, alongside a co-located 40MW battery storage system. The duration of the BESS has not been disclosed.
Synergy Wind’s project is expected to generate approximately 300,000MWh of renewable energy annually in a region of Victoria known for mining, power generation and agriculture.
Rounding out the approvals is the AU$130 million Chivers Road BESS in Glenrowan, developed by Pacific Partnerships as a behind-the-meter addition to the existing and operational 130MW Glenrowan Solar Farm.
The 100MW BESS will be located within the existing development footprint of the solar PV power plant, on approximately 2.7 hectares at the intersection of Chivers Road and Winton-Glenrowan Road. It will be designed to store and dispatch solar generation to support grid stability.
It should be noted that this is the second utility-scale battery storage system to be approved in recent months under the DFP in Glenrowan. Developer Akaysha Energy saw its 400MW/1,600MWh Glenrowan BESS, being developed in collaboration with BZ Renewables, approved in February 2026.
Last month, Akaysha’s project cleared the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny said the DFP was designed to accelerate decision-making without reducing assessment rigour.
“We’re making good decisions faster so Victorians can benefit from cheaper renewable energy sooner,” Kilkenny said.
Energy and Resources Minister Lily D’Ambrosio added that the projects would shore up the state’s energy supply and lower wholesale power prices.
DFP’s track record and the projects it has enabled
The DFP was established to address a structural bottleneck in Victoria’s planning system.
Before the programme was introduced, more than one in five energy project applications were delayed at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). This court process added years to delivery timelines without improving planning outcomes.
By bypassing VCAT for eligible projects, the DFP has compressed the approvals pathway while retaining agency referrals, community consultation, and planning assessment requirements.
The programme’s growing pipeline has been documented across a series of approvals rounds. In November 2025, the Victorian government approved Eku Energy’s 300MW/1,200MWh Tramway Road BESS in Gippsland and the Meadow Creek Solar Farm, combining a 332MW solar PV plant with a 250MW/1,000MWh battery system, representing approximately AU$1.2 billion in combined investment and more than 650 construction jobs.
In early February, the Victorian government announced the approval of Akaysha Energy’s 1,600MWh Glenrowan BESS alongside Atmos Renewables’ 300MW/1,140MWh system in Heywood.
The DFP programme faces a potential inflexion point at the next state election, scheduled for 28 November, with the opposition having publicly stated that it would remove the programme if elected.
Interested in Australia? Read Energy-Storage.news’ Energy Storage Summit Australia coverage and related content.
