Power play at Yangery: Warrnambool battery project could power 40,000 homes

A proposed battery project near Warrnambool could power more than 40,000 homes during peak demand, with locals now invited to have their say on the development.

What’s planned? The proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) would be built on a 23.3-hectare site at the corner of Tower Hill Road and Conn’s Lane at Yangery, next to the existing Koroit Electrical Substation.

• South Energy lodged its planning application with the Department of Transport and Planning in February, with the proposal now accepted and open for public submissions.

• If approved, the project would have a capacity of about 120 megawatts and 480 megawatt-hours of storage - enough to power roughly 42,000 households for up to four hours during peak demand.

How it works: Large-scale batteries store excess energy generated during the day, particularly from solar and wind, and release it back into the grid when demand spikes, such as in the evening.

• Physically, these systems resemble rows of shipping containers that house battery units, connected to the electricity network to help stabilise supply.

Jobs and timeline: Construction is expected to take between 12 and 16 months, creating a number of temporary roles, though exact figures and project costs have not been confirmed.

• A larger scale project near Portland which is expected to power 345,000 homes is estimated to cost $1 billion to build.

• Once operational, the facility would employ four permanent full-time staff.

Regional context: The Yangery proposal is the latest in a growing pipeline of battery projects across western Victoria, with similar developments flagged near Cobden, Camperdown and Portland as the region adapts to a changing energy mix.