Victoria to get Tesla battery like South Australia’s

Victoria is set to follow South Australia’s lead in providing a Tesla battery system linked to a wind farm.

France’s Neoen says it has signed a support agreement with the Victorian government for a 20mW battery at the Bulgana Green Power Hub near Stawell in western Victoria, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Neoen’s wind farm project in Adelaide is paired with a 100mW Tesla battery system there, opened in November to support its electricity grid after power blackouts the previous year.

Tesla has also been selected for the Victorian project, reported to cost about $270 million, the agreement providing an opportunity to build a 204mW wind farm at Bulgana.

It will support a nearby 40-hectare Nectar Farms glasshouse, the first of a planned roll-out of large glasshouses to deliver high-yield premium horticultural produce.

The Bulgana battery project, likely to be online mid-2019, is also expected to support the state’s electricity grid in the future.

Both projects will probably encourage other states and regions to follow suit, with New South Wales among those watching developments.

Hot conditions are likely to test power supplies as Australians turn up their air-conditioning.

Battery supported electricity injections to ensure a stable supply are also tipped to foster electric vehicle uptake, particularly as more Australian homes and workplaces incorporate batteries and solar power.