Victoria's $4 Billion Pre-Election Approvals Blitz: What Six Wind and Battery Projects Really Mean

In the last days before Victoria's government entered caretaker mode, its planning minister approved six energy projects worth nearly $4 billion: two wind farms and four large batteries. The approvals landed on Friday and Monday, just before the 6 pm Tuesday deadline when the government stopped making decisions ahead of the state election on 28 November. For anyone watching Australian energy — including Queensland buyers who will feel the effects of Victorian decisions through the shared National Electricity Market — the story matters less as a headline total and more as a lesson in what an approval does, and does not, guarantee.

It separates confirmed approvals from the steps still outstanding, explains why the timing matters politically, and sets out what it means for investors, commercial buyers and homeowners — including Queensland buyers, where a real implication exists and where it does not.

1. What happened, when, and who is involved

On Friday and Monday before caretaker mode, Victoria's planning minister Sonya Kilkenny approved six projects. Renew Economy reported the approvals on 4 November 2026, noting the total development value of the six projects is nearly $4 billion according to planning documents. The approvals came just before the hard stop of 6 pm on Tuesday evening, when the government shifted into caretaker mode ahead of the election on 28 November.

The two wind projects are Squadron Energy's $1.5 billion, 420 MW Moreton Hill project, and Virya Energy's $2 billion Meering West project — a 1.3 GW wind project with a 500 MW, 1,000 MWh battery. Moreton Hill will have up to 62 turbines, producing enough electricity to power around 260,000 homes, and will connect via a new underground 220 kV powerline to the Berrybank terminal station to the south. It sits about 35 km south-west of Ballarat in central-west Victoria. Meering West's 155 turbines are planned in the north of the state, and the project is supposed to connect directly into VNI West, the interconnector with New South Wales.

The four batteries are European Energy's 600 MW Gippsland battery (1,200 or 2,400 MWh), Potentia Energy's 200 MW / 800 MWh Tragowell battery, and two smaller batteries at Cobden and Camperdown, both proposed by Australian Renewable Energy Services. None of the batteries has been referred for federal environmental assessment, according to Renew Economy.

The context is Yallourn's closure. The approvals come as Victoria races to lock in new generation before the 2028 closure of the 1.48 GW Yallourn coal-fired power station, and as the Labor government tries to embed its renewable legacy before what Renew Economy describes as a tough day at the polls.

Project	Developer	Size	Status after this approval
Moreton Hill wind	Squadron Energy	420 MW, up to 62 turbines, $1.5bn	State approved; federal EPBC approval still needed
Meering West wind + battery	Virya Energy	1.3 GW wind, 500 MW / 1,000 MWh battery, 155 turbines, $2bn	State approved; federal EPBC approval still needed
Gippsland battery	European Energy	600 MW / 1,200 or 2,400 MWh	State approved; not referred for federal assessment
Tragowell battery	Potentia Energy	200 MW / 800 MWh	State approved; not referred for federal assessment
Cobden battery	Australian Renewable Energy Services	Smaller, size not stated in the report	State approved; not referred for federal assessment
Camperdown battery	Australian Renewable Energy Services	Smaller, size not stated in the report	State approved; not referred for federal assessment

2. Why it happened, and why the timing matters

Caretaker mode creates a deadline, and deadlines concentrate decisions. Once a government enters caretaker mode, it stops making major decisions until after the election. Approvals granted before that deadline stand; projects still awaiting approval do not. The timing therefore matters legally, not just politically: Renew Economy notes that the last-minute approvals mean the wind projects should not be affected by the Coalition's promise of 2 km buffer zones for wind projects, nor by its plan to pivot the state's future electricity system from renewable generation to gas, if it wins power later in November.

But approval is not immunity from every policy change. The same report notes the projects might still feel the effects of the Coalition's proposal to pause and review transmission plans across the state, and to cancel the VNI West interconnector with New South Wales on the grounds of its ballooning cost. That matters most for Meering West, whose 155 turbines are supposed to connect directly into VNI West, which would carve a line through the project site. Virya Energy's general manager Steve Crowe has previously told Renew Economy that the landowner-led project would revert to an original plan to build a power link to Kerang if VNI West is cancelled. Similarly, Moreton Hill is positioned along the line where the Western Renewables Link is supposed to go, and while that transmission project has state planning approval, Premier Ben Carroll has promised his own economic review of it if Labor wins.

Community response differed sharply between the two wind projects. Moreton Hill received only six objections from eight submissions. Meering West, by contrast, attracted 102 objections from 108 submissions — including from the Gannawarra shire council, which is led by new One Nation candidate Garner Smith. That contrast is a reminder that "approved" does not mean "uncontested", and that local opposition can still shape construction, connection and political debate even after a planning approval.

3. What it changes — and what it does not yet change

What it changes: six projects, worth nearly $4 billion on paper, now hold state planning approval and can proceed to the next stages — federal assessment for the wind projects, detailed design, financing, and construction planning — without needing to re-run the state planning process after the election, even if the government changes.

What it does not change: no megawatt from these projects is generating yet. Both wind projects still need federal approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. No construction start date, no financing close, and no completion date for any of the six projects is stated in the Renew Economy report, and none is claimed here. The batteries have not been referred for federal assessment, which is a different statement from "federally approved" — do not conflate the two.

The transmission question is unresolved either way. Environment Victoria chief Jono La Nauze told Renew Economy that pausing and cancelling transmission builds would be an "act of economic self harm", arguing that building the lines still comes out at a positive cost-benefit to consumers, and citing his organisation's modelling that a five-year delay in building transmission and bringing new renewables online would add $33 billion in costs to the Victorian economy, or $500 a year to household power bills. The Coalition's shadow energy minister David Davis, speaking at the All Energy conference the previous week, promised the transmission review would be "short, sharp and independent" without putting a timeline on it, while conceding renewables will still make up the largest chunk of generation in the state. Neither side has yet outlined, in the report, how its plan lowers bills — a gap worth noting rather than filling with speculation.

A note on dates. This blog is published on 5 November 2026 (Australian date). The Renew Economy story is dated 4 November 2026 (published 03:51 UTC, updated 21:55 UTC) — the previous Australian day, not presented as 5 November news. The approvals themselves landed on the Friday and Monday before caretaker mode began on Tuesday evening.

4. What this means for you

For investors and developers: the approvals show how election timing can compress a pipeline — projects approved days before caretaker mode gain a legal footing that projects still in assessment do not. But the Meering West transmission exposure shows the limit of that footing: a state approval does not secure the transmission line the project depends on. Due diligence on any Victorian project should now test three things separately — state approval, federal EPBC status, and transmission connection — rather than treating the first as proof of the other two.

For commercial and industrial buyers: more Victorian wind and battery capacity, if built, would add supply and firming to the National Electricity Market, which can affect wholesale prices and contract offers across states over time. That is a medium-term market effect, not a reason to delay or accelerate a commercial solar or battery decision today on the basis of a Victorian approval headline. A commercial system should still be sized on the site's own interval data, tariff and network approval.

For homeowners: these approvals do not change any household's solar, battery or tariff position directly. They do not create a rebate, change a feed-in rate, or alter a network export limit. Their relevance to a homeowner is indirect: the pace at which large-scale wind, battery and transmission projects are built affects wholesale markets, which flow into retail offers over years, not weeks.

For Queensland and Brisbane buyers — where a real implication exists: Queensland's grid is connected to the rest of the National Electricity Market, so large Victorian supply and transmission decisions can influence interstate flows and wholesale prices over time. But no Queensland project, Queensland network rule, or Queensland tariff is changed by these Victorian approvals, and no Queensland impact figure is claimed here. The direct Queensland lesson is procedural, not financial: Queensland has its own version of this story — the reported pause in contracting for the Borumba pumped hydro project, covered in this blog series on 30 October — where a reported halt and a confirmed position are different things. In both states, the discipline is the same: separate what is approved, what is reported, and what is still to be decided, before acting on a headline.

5. What EServices4U would check independently

• Solar and battery feasibility assessment — from $299 — where a market or policy headline is being used to sell a system, checking the claim against the buyer's own interval data, tariff and network approval, rather than against a state-level announcement.

• Residential quote review — from $149 — where competing quotes cite approvals, market movements or policy changes, checking that they cover the same system and the same assumptions before you sign.

• Home Owner's Engineer services — from $599 — where that scope fits a particular engagement, including independent review of a larger energy design.

• Commercial Infrastructure Assessment / RPEQ & RPEV SLD Sign-Off — from $495 — where the engagement scope requires it, for larger commercial projects where approval, connection and design documentation must align.

Scope and the qualifications required for each engineering engagement are confirmed before work starts. EServices4U does not sell installations and does not receive installer commissions, so the review is independent of any project developer or supplier named in this story.

Frequently asked questions

Are these six projects now certain to be built?

No. They hold state planning approval, but the two wind projects still need federal EPBC approval, and all six still need detailed design, financing and construction. State approval is a major milestone, not a construction guarantee.

Does the election result still matter for these projects?

Yes, mainly through transmission. The approvals should insulate the wind projects from a promised 2 km buffer zone and a gas pivot, according to Renew Economy, but a proposed pause and review of transmission plans, and possible cancellation of VNI West, could still affect projects that depend on those lines — notably Meering West.

What is caretaker mode?

The period before an election when the government stops making major decisions. In Victoria, the hard stop was 6 pm on the Tuesday before the 28 November election. Approvals granted before that deadline stand; decisions not yet made wait until after the election.

Why does Yallourn's closure matter here?

Yallourn, a 1.48 GW coal-fired power station, is due to close in 2028. Victoria is racing to approve replacement generation and storage before then. The six approvals are part of that replacement pipeline, but approval alone does not replace the capacity — construction and connection do.

Does this affect Queensland electricity prices or solar rules?

Not directly. No Queensland rule, tariff or network limit is changed by Victorian planning approvals. Any effect would come indirectly, over time, through the shared National Electricity Market — and no Queensland price impact is claimed in this blog.

What should a buyer do with a headline like this?

Separate the confirmed facts (state approval, project sizes, federal steps outstanding) from the speculation (construction dates, price effects, policy outcomes). Then judge any solar or battery purchase on your own site data, tariff and approval — not on another state's approvals headline.

Get an independent check before you commit

• Start with a free 15-minute consultation to talk through your tender, system, building, or project and find out which fixed-fee review fits, if any. Call/WhatsApp 0480 001 498 or email growthpartner@eservices4u.com.au. No obligation, and it does not include a written report.

• Solar and battery feasibility assessment — from $299. See packages and pricing.

• Residential quote review — from $149. See packages and pricing.

• Home Owner's Engineer services — from $599. See owners engineer Australia.

• Commercial Infrastructure Assessment / RPEQ & RPEV SLD Sign-Off — from $495. See packages and pricing.

• EServices4U home — eservices4u.com.au. Team — team. Quote — quote.