The Golden Plains Wind Farm in Rokewood, Victoria, now officially the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere, has started feeding renewable energy into the state's electricity grid. The project, announced on October 11 by Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D'Ambrosio, will ultimately generate enough power to supply 765,000 homes, or every home in regional Victoria, when fully operational.

The 1.3-gigawatt wind farm is expected to meet 9% of Victoria's current energy demand, producing over 4,000 gigawatt hours of energy annually. A 300-megawatt battery located on site will capture excess energy, ensuring reliability by feeding power back into the grid when needed.

"The Golden Plains Wind Farm will be able to power every regional Victorian home - delivering lower bills for Victorian families," said D'Ambrosio. She emphasized that Victoria continues to lead Australia in clean energy investment, driven by ambitious renewable energy policies.

During its construction, the project created around 700 jobs and will generate up to 70 permanent positions once fully operational.

Since 2014, Victoria's renewable energy generation has surged, with wind farms playing a critical role in increasing the state's share of electricity from renewables from 10% to 39% in 2023. The state is on track to reach its target of 40% renewable energy by 2025 and 95% by 2035, contributing $9.5 billion in economic activity and 59,000 jobs.