Glenelg Shire has three operating wind farms and two approved battery projects. It says its ready for more

Glenelg Shire wants to be a larger player in Victoria’s renewable energy future, arguing the region is ready for more projects despite not being included in one of the state’s Renewable Energy Zones.

What happened: Councillors adopted a submission to VicGrid’s Victorian Transmission Plan Guidelines at last month’s meeting, calling for Renewable Energy Zones to be expanded into Glenelg as the state’s electricity network grows over the coming decades.

Putting the hand up: Acting council CEO Aaron Moyne told the Brolga Glenelg has been involved in renewable planning with the state government and VicGrid for a “long period of time”.

🗣️ “We’ve provided a number of submissions to the government on the development of renewable energy zones, the role and the opportunity for Glenelg Shire,” he said.

“The council’s not included in a Renewable Energy Zone yet. We have existing operational projects and approved projects … we see that there’s potentially an opportunity for future expansion of the renewable zones into the shire.”

Why would you want to be in a REZ? Moyne said being in a REZ could create more opportunities for local investment, jobs and supporting local industries, but that growth needed to be carefully planned.

🗣️ “We’ll continue to work with VicGrid and the state government around obtaining community feedback, understanding what the priorities are and looking at areas across the shire that might be suited to renewable development,” he said.

• He said Glenelg’s deep-water port and established industries could help attract businesses involved in building and maintaining renewable energy projects.

Consultation and benefits: In its submission, Glenelg called for stronger community consultation and better planning for future transmission lines.

🗣️ “Something that we’re really cognisant of as a council is trying to derive maximum community benefits from some of these projects,” Moyne said.

Projects a-plenty: There are currently three wind farms operating in the Glenelg Shire, near Codrington and Portland, two approved large-scale battery energy storage projects at Portland and Heywood, and the approved Kentbruck Green Power Hub between Portland and Nelson.

Rules are rules: Before adopting the submission, councillors removed wording that suggested the existing wind farms at Cape Nelson and Cape Bridgewater could be repowered without going through a full planning process.

• Instead, they agreed any future development at those sites should face the same environmental and planning assessments as any new renewable energy project.

Representing Glenelg: Moyne said Glenelg did not make the final decision on renewable energy developments.

🗣️“We’ve got that interplay between council representing community views, whilst working through a state government planning process for renewable infrastructure and approvals,” he said.

“We’ll play a role, so our planning team and staff here at council work through that ... but we don't lead or manage the planning process ourselves.”

The role of councils: RE-Alliance national director Andrew Bray said councils played an important role in helping communities shape renewable energy projects.

🗣️ “The best outcomes happen when councils work closely with their communities to help them move from simply reacting to projects, to setting clear expectations about what they want from the shift to renewable energy,” he said. “That might include local jobs, housing, roads, training, cheaper energy, community facilities or long-term investment funds.”

“The missing piece that isn’t yet happening is conversations with communities that centre on what communities want for the place they live in. For example, how will new energy projects make our places better places to live?”

What is good engagement? Bray said “high-quality engagement is not a glossy brochure or a one-off town hall” and should be a long-term, respectful and transparent relationship.

🗣️ “A good benefit-sharing model looks beyond individual payments and asks: what will this leave behind for the broader district in 10, 20 or 30 years?” he said.

“That could include community-led funds, energy bill relief, housing, training, local procurement, shared ownership models, or investment in services the region has been asking for,” he said. “The point is not just to compensate for change, but to turn renewable energy investment into long-term regional strength.”