Victorian renewable energy project approvals spark anger in Dederang and Colbinabbin

Australia Broadcast Center

06-06-2025

Permits for two renewable energy projects in regional Victoria have been approved despite community opposition.
Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny approved Mint Renewables' 400-megawatt-hour (MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS) at Dederang in the Kiewa Valley, east of Myrtleford.
The controversial project received strong objections from hundreds of community members with concerns about risks to amenities, the environment, and bushfires.
Dederang resident Sharon McAvoy said she was shocked by the decision.
"My initial reaction is shock, horror — gut-wrenching," Ms McAvoy said.
"I guess deep down probably we expected this to happen, because the state government is not listening at all to small rural communities like Dederang.
"They brush off the over 1,000 objections that people have written in.
"They brush off the petition to parliament of 1,300 signatures.
Mint Renewables interim head of Australia Kim van Hattum said the company welcomed the decision.
"There is still a lot of work to do prior to the construction of the project," Ms Hattum said in a statement.
"We remain committed to community engagement and will continue to work hard to reassure the community and the authorities that our project can coexist safely and provide benefits to the local area and Australia more widely."
This is one of two BESS projects proposed for Dederang.
In March the Alpine Shire council passed a motion to submit a letter to the planning minister objecting the projects.
The council was contacted for comment but declined to make a statement on the decision.
In Central Victoria the 500MW Cooba Solar Project permit has been approved to go ahead at Colbinabbin.
Residents have pushed back on the location of the project, which they say could alter the renowned grape-growing region's microclimate.
Concerns about bushfire risk and associated insurance costs, as well as heat impacts, have also been raised.
The solar farm is expected to be operational from 2027 with the aim of generating enough renewable energy to power 145,000 homes.
A BESS with a capacity up to 300MW is included in the plan.
John Davies has managed his vineyard at Heathcote for more than 25 years and says the decision has left him "stunned and gutted".
He said 271 objections had been made.
"I thought fact-based arguments against the state's planning guidelines would provide a compelling argument why this 500MW solar facility should be rejected," Mr Davies said.
Some of Mr Davies's main concerns were centred around how heat from the 700,000 solar panels would impact the microclimate and how much arable land would be lost.
He said recourse for opponents would not be allowed under the state's fast-tracked approvals regime.
The Development Facilitation Program provides sweeping powers to Ms Kilkenny and, according to the government, an "expedited planning process for eligible projects that inject investment into the Victorian economy".
"Decisions made by the minister for planning under the provisions cannot be appealed to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal," the government's website states.
Mr Davies said that was fundamentally undemocratic and that he had sought legal advice.
"In my opinion, that means we're denied natural justice and due process," he said.
"The only option we've got is to take … action in the Supreme Court."
In a press release issued this week Ms Kilkenny said the program was working.
"We've fast-tracked enough renewable energy projects to power more than half a million Victorian households with cheaper and cleaner energy," she said.