A private company that purchased five hectares of land in Macedon will submit plans next month to build an energy storage facility in a designated bushfire-prone area.
South Energy is developing a project titled Macedon BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems) to install 128 20-foot containers with lithium ion batteries at Lot 2, Black Forest Drive, located about 3.5km from the Macedon township.
The company will use the site to purchase unused energy from the grid, store it in containers, and re-sell it back to the energy grid during peak-demand times. The 100 megawatt operation has the capacity to power about 35,000 households continuously for four hours, according to their website.
Rob Mitchell MP toured the site last week with South Energy’s project manager and said he supported the project.
“Battery storage delivers lower energy bills, reduces emissions and improves reliability of the grid by storing excess power for later use,” he said.
“These projects bring jobs, support local business and deliver clean renewable energy into our grid to be used during peak times, which lowers energy costs.”
However, one resident has warned the facility’s location is a risk to the community.
CFA life member Peter Shaw spoke to the Express as a resident of Macedon. He said the project was a fire hazard.
“Macedon and Mount Macedon are one of the highest fire danger areas in the state, which was one of the main reasons why Macedon and Mount Macedon will probably never be developed to the level of Gisborne or Sunbury,” Mr Shaw said.
“I acknowledge that there would be a benefit to the broader community, and I certainly don’t want to be seen to be a ‘not my back yard’ person, but I’m not sure that the site has been chosen with enough consideration.
“And on a bad fire day, our fires come out of the southwest, and guess where it is relative to the town?”
South Energy’s website states the location, southwest of Macedon, was chosen because “it has excellent access to Victoria state’s energy infrastructure through the adjacent Gisborne Zone Substation; it is highly accessible through transport connections through both Macedon-Woodend Road and Calder Freeway; it has a natural barrier of large trees and vegetation, which could act as a visual shield for the project, and reduce visual impact for nearby residents; the local council strongly supports renewable energy through different initiatives such as installing hybrid system of solar and battery storage”.
Project manager Linh Nguyen said South Energy was planning to submit the proposal to the Department of Transport and Planning in about one month. She said studies on biodiversity, traffic noise and social impact were conducted as part of this process, and also included one on fire risk, which was conducted alongside the CFA.
“So [the CFA] they’re very careful about the positioning of the battery, how we design it, how many fire hydrants we have to install on site. They’ve provided quite a lot of good guidance. We’ve definitely taken all of that feedback on board and incorporated that into our design,” Ms Nguyen said.
“I don’t have the data off the top of my head, but I do know that we have thousands of projects being installed and there have been very few incidents of fire. So, it is a safe technology.
“And I think by the end of 2026 and early 2027 is when we expect that the project will go to construction.”
Ms Nguyen added there would be a community benefit fund for the developers to contribute to the community.
“Usually it would run from, depending on the project size, somewhere from $30,000 to $50,000 per year. And that will go to, I would say, the council and we’ll collaborate with them and determine which activities and which programs this funds.”
As part of the Department of Transport and Planning’s property report, there is also Rural Conservation Overlay and Vegetation Protection Overlay on the site.
Recent changes to Victorian Law remove planning powers from local councils when renewable energy facilities are greater than 1MW. It will instead be deferred to the Minister for Planning as part of the state government’s Development Facilitation Program, to fast-track planning permit approval.
Decisions made under the DFP cannot be appealed to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
View the different overlays for Lot 2, Black Forest Drive, Macedon, from the Department of Transport and Planning’s Property Report below:
Designated Bushfire Prone Area 
Bushfire Management Overlay 
Vegetation Protection Overlay 
Environmental Significance Overlay 
Rural Conservation Overlay
