Australian Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek has approved the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub (MREH), which will feature the largest battery in the Asia-Pacific region.

The 1,200 MW/2.4 GWh battery will purportedly power 1 million households. The project also includes a small solar component and could potentially expand to include hydrogen and battery recycling facilities.

The project is to be located on a 90-hectare site in Plumpton, 25 kilometers northwest of Melbourne. It is owned by Equis Development, with backing from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board.

Syncline Energy initially developed the project in 2021 under the name “Melton Renewable Energy Hub.” However, when Equis assumed full ownership of the project in 2022, it rebranded it as the “Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub” and committed AUD 1.9 billion ($1.22 billion) to its development.

Initially, Equis was aiming for the MREH to go into operations by 2024. The MREH website currently says that a “notice to proceed for construction is planned for late 2023 with commercial operations expected to commence in 2025.”

Victorian renewable energy zones (VREZ)