Australia’s Golden Plains wind farm has begun supplying renewable power to Victoria's electricity grid, providing reliable renewable energy to homes and businesses across the region.

Located in Rokewood, the 1.3GW wind farm is the largest in the southern hemisphere. It will generate 4,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy annually, meeting 9% of Victoria's current energy needs.

Energy and Resources Minister Lily D'Ambrosio announced the activation of the wind farm, which when fully operational will power 765,000 homes.

The facility will be bolstered by a 300MW battery designed to store surplus energy and release it back to the grid when demand spikes.

The construction of the Golden Plains wind farm has generated 700 jobs and is expected to create 70 permanent full-time positions.

Since 2014, Victoria's Labor government has significantly increased wind power generation, with the proportion of electricity sourced from renewables rising from under 10% to 39% in 2023.

The state plans to reach 40% renewables by 2025 and 95% by 2035. Achieving these targets in renewable energy generation and storage is projected to stimulate A$9.5bn ($6.4bn) in economic activity and create 59,000 jobs.

Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio stated: “The Golden Plains wind farm will be able to power every regional Victorian home – delivering lower bills for Victorian families.”

“Victoria is the clean energy investment capital of Australia, and this project is another example of how Victoria’s ambitious renewable energy policies are creating jobs and driving the renewables sector.”

TagEnergy initiated the construction of Stage 2 of the Golden Plains wind farm in June 2024, with a completion date set for mid-2027.

The 577MW stage 2 development follows the financial closure of this phase of the AUD$4bn ($2.65bn) project.