The Little River BESS is located approximately 30 kilometres north-east of Geelong and will be a pivotal component of Victoria’s strategy to transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future. By providing a reliable and flexible storage solution, it will help balance supply and demand, integrating more renewable energy into the grid and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Once operational, the project will be one of the state’s largest Battery Energy Storage Systems, with a capacity of 350 MW / 700 MWh. It will connect directly to existing 220kV network infrastructure. A switching station and connection asset including a control room will also be located on the site to support the BESS. Set to be located on the eastern end of the subdivided land, adjacent to Sandy Creek Road, the remainder of the site will continue to be used for agriculture.
The project will also strengthen the power network in the Keilor-Deer-Park-Geelong area by storing energy from renewable generators and discharging in periods of high demand, helping maximise utilisation of the network. It will defer the need for expensive transmission upgrades and avoid an increase in network charges.
The project will also bring economic benefits to locals, with 55 jobs created during construction, and five permanent full-time jobs during operations.
