Victoria to Push Ahead With Chinese-Backed ‘Mega’ Battery Despite Local Protests

Labor says the mega-battery will drive jobs and renewables; locals warn it endangers farms, communities and ecosystems.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan speaks to media during a press conference at Victorian Parliament in Melbourne, Australia, on June 19, 2025. AAP Image/Diego Fedele

Despite petitions, protests, and council objections, the Allan government has greenlit a Chinese-backed mega battery in North-East Victoria, a decision residents say tramples rural voices.

Premier Jacinta Allan confirmed the decision in Beijing on Sept. 16 after meeting with Trina Solar, the company behind the 500-megawatt Kiewa Valley Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) near Dederang.

Fast-tracked under Labor’s Development Facilitation Program, the project will store renewable power during the day and release it at peak demand, enough to supply 172,000 homes annually.

The government argues the project will strengthen Victoria’s energy grid and create jobs, but for residents of the Kiewa Valley who fear the project will destroy the environment, it represents a bitter defeat.

‘Shock, Horror, Gut-Wrenching’: Resident

Locals say they never stood a chance.

“My initial reaction is shock, horror, gut-wrenching,” said resident Sharon McEvoy, accusing the government of brushing aside more than 1,000 objections and a 1,300-signature petition.

“They are not listening to small rural communities like ours. We have no voice,” McEvoy told ABC News.

The Alpine Shire Council formally opposed the project earlier this year, warning of noise, traffic, farmland loss and mounting stress on community wellbeing.

For residents, the government’s decision reinforced a sense of being sidelined.

Locals warned the battery’s location in a high-risk bushfire zone poses unacceptable dangers.

The Alpine Shire is already one of Victoria’s most fire-prone regions, and local CFA brigades argue they would be stretched to breaking point if a lithium battery fire erupted.

In a presentation to the council (pdf), locals pointed to the 2021 blaze at the Victorian Big Battery near Geelong, which burned for days, as evidence of the hazard.

Beyond safety, residents fear the loss of farmland and damage to the valley’s fragile ecosystem.

They argue the project would disrupt a unique landscape, drive away tourists, and erode liveability for nearby households.

Noise and visual impacts are also expected to ripple across the valley, while construction threatens to overwhelm local roads.

Locals further contend the development breaches the Paris Agreement’s call for climate action that does not threaten food production, saying prime farmland should not be sacrificed for industrial-scale energy projects.

Opposition Urges Government to Meet Residents

Liberal MP Wendy Lovell told the chamber that Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny must meet directly with Kiewa Valley residents to hear their concerns.

“The minister for planning must start listening to the Kiewa Valley community regarding the battery systems proposed near Dederang Terminal Station,” Lovell told parliament in June.

She accused Labor of riding roughshod over locals in the name of fast-tracking renewable projects.

Lovell agreed with claims by locals, saying battery systems in extreme bushfire areas are reckless, especially when they back onto bushland.

“Locating these systems in extreme bushfire zones puts lives at risk,” she said.

Allan Defends China Ties

For the Allan government, the Kiewa Valley project is part of more than $5 billion in fast-tracked renewable investments designed to meet ambitious clean energy goals.

In total, 19 projects have been accelerated through the Development Facilitation Program, with capacity to power over half a million homes.

The announcement also highlights Victoria’s China Strategy, which aims to position the state as a preferred partner for Chinese clean energy investors.

Speaking in Beijing, Allan said the partnership would deliver long-term benefits.

“China is the world’s clean energy superpower installing 100 solar panels every second—and Victoria is benefiting,” she said.