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Victoria’s State Electricity Commission has signed a 10-year offtake agreement covering the existing Glenrowan Solar Farm and a planned 102MW, four-hour battery in north-east Victoria. Separately, Gentari says the first battery units have arrived for its 172MW/409MWh Maryvale project in New South Wales; that project is scheduled to begin commercial operations in the second quarter of 2027.
Victoria’s state-owned State Electricity Commission has signed a 10-year offtake agreement covering the existing Glenrowan Solar Farm and a planned 102MW, four-hour battery, giving the project a route to market as it moves toward construction. Separately, Gentari Australia said the first battery units had arrived at its Maryvale solar-and-storage project in New South Wales.
The Glenrowan agreement was announced on Monday, November 2, by the SEC. The battery is planned for the site of the 102MW Glenrowan Solar Farm in north-east Victoria, owned by Pacific Partnerships. The SEC already buys the solar farm’s output; the new deal replaces that arrangement and adds the planned battery to the contracted supply.
The SEC said the storage project would improve its ability to supply government and commercial and industrial customers. The company supplies renewable energy backed by storage to more than 4,400 sites and says this meets about 5% of Victoria’s electricity demand. Those figures describe the SEC’s existing customer and supply portfolio, not the output of Glenrowan alone.
Pacific Partnerships said Glenrowan has operated since May 2024 and was the first project backed by the second Victorian Renewable Energy Target auction, or VRET2, to begin generating. The company described the battery as its first large-scale battery hybridisation. Its general manager for energy said the SEC agreement provides a foundation for taking the project toward construction.
A Contract for Glenrowan Storage
The agreement links a long-term buyer to a battery planned alongside an operating solar farm. A four-hour system can store energy and supply it later, allowing the combined project to offer electricity beyond the hours when solar generation is strongest. The SEC said this would help it serve customers during periods of high demand, although the source does not provide the battery’s expected annual output or specify how it will be dispatched.
For Pacific Partnerships, the deal is a commercial step toward construction, but it does not by itself confirm that construction has started or establish a completion date. The project adds to Victoria’s developing storage pipeline as the state pursues targets of at least 2.6GW by 2030 and 6.3GW by 2035. The Glenrowan battery’s 102MW power rating is one measure of capacity; its planned four-hour duration indicates how long it can discharge at that rate, subject to operating conditions.
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From Solar Farm to Hybrid Site
Glenrowan’s solar farm was among the projects supported through VRET2, with the plant operating since May 2024. When the auction results were announced in October 2022, the project was reported as the only one of six successful VRET2 projects without battery storage. The new offtake agreement changes that plan by pairing the existing solar plant with a proposed battery.
The SEC has other storage interests. It co-developed and contributed A$245 million in equity to the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub, a 600MW/1.6GWh project that began commercial operations in December 2025. It also owns the 100MW/200MWh SEC Renewable Energy Park in Horsham, which is expected to reach full operation in 2027.
At Maryvale, in New South Wales, Gentari said the first battery units had arrived for a separate 172MW/409MWh system. The project is planned to combine 122 battery units with 243MWp of solar generation and is located about 37km southeast of Dubbo, in the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone. It has a long-term energy service agreement under the fourth tender of the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap.
“This agreement will allow us to make better use of the solar energy generated during the day and strengthen our ability to supply customers during periods of high demand.”
— Chris Miller, SEC chief executive
Construction and Timing Still Unconfirmed
The Glenrowan announcement confirms the 10-year offtake agreement and the planned battery’s 102MW power rating and four-hour duration. The source does not state when construction will begin, when the battery is expected to enter service, its cost, or the detailed commercial terms of the agreement. It is also not clear whether further approvals or financing steps remain before work can start.
At Maryvale, the arrival of the first units is a delivery milestone, not confirmation that the full battery has been installed or commissioned. Gentari says 122 units are planned, and commercial operations are scheduled for the second quarter of 2027, but the report does not provide a detailed construction schedule or confirm how many units had arrived at the time of its update. The two developments are separate projects in different states and should not be read as a single coordinated announcement.
Project Steps Toward Operation
For Glenrowan, the next reported milestone is progress toward construction of the battery under the new SEC agreement. Pacific Partnerships said the deal provides a foundation for that step, but no construction start or commissioning date was specified. Updates on approvals, financing, procurement and construction would clarify when the planned storage capacity could become available to the SEC.
At Maryvale, the immediate work is delivery and installation of the remaining battery equipment, followed by integration with the solar plant and testing. The project’s stated target for commercial operations is the second quarter of 2027. That remains a scheduled date, not confirmation that the facility will begin operating then.
Key Questions
What did the SEC agree to buy at Glenrowan?
The SEC signed a 10-year offtake agreement covering output from the operating Glenrowan Solar Farm and a planned 102MW, four-hour battery at the same site.
Has construction started on the Glenrowan battery?
The report does not say that construction has started. Pacific Partnerships said the agreement provides a foundation for taking the battery toward construction, but no start date was announced.
What does four-hour battery duration mean?
It refers to the planned duration of discharge at the battery’s rated output under the specified operating conditions. Glenrowan is described as a 102MW, four-hour project; the source does not give further operating details.
What is the Maryvale project, and when is it due to operate?
Maryvale is Gentari’s planned 172MW/409MWh battery, integrated with 243MWp of solar generation in New South Wales. Commercial operations are scheduled for the second quarter of 2027, according to the report.
Are Glenrowan and Maryvale part of the same project?
No. Glenrowan is a solar-and-storage development in Victoria involving the SEC and Pacific Partnerships. Maryvale is a separate Gentari project in New South Wales, where the first battery units have arrived.
Source: energy-storage.news
