Springvale Energy Hub

Springvale Energy Hub combines energy storage, solar, EV charging and emerging technology in one metropolitan hub.

It will provide:

  • Capacity and energy storage close to where it's most needed  

  • Network stability and support to the United Energy distribution network 

  • Investment in longer duration energy storage, and renewable generation at the site.   

Strategically located 

Most metropolitan homes rely on energy carried over long distances from regional areas. Springvale Energy Hub will store and generate energy close to where it’s most needed and grid connection is conveniently close to the site.

The hub will be positioned on 47 hectares on a former landfill site between Clarke and Westall Roads in Springvale South. This is 24 kilometres south-east of Melbourne’s CBD and is within the City of Greater Dandenong. 

An innovative story 

The Springvale Energy Hub solves the problem of how to transform an environmental liability into a community asset. 

The site operated as a sand extraction pit during the 1970s and landfill facility in the 1990s, before closing in 2003.

Progress Power has collaborated with specialists to repurpose the site and mitigate environmental risks. Victoria’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA) requires closed landfills to be capped to manage surface water flow and avoid leaching. Progress Power went beyond this, custom designing a cap to support a wide range of land use options. 

The innovative cap involved installing a thick layer of clay rich soil between the top of the existing landfill cap and surface soil. The process was a success, eliminating almost all uncontrolled landfill gas emissions on the future Springvale Energy Hub site. 

 

Stage 1 (Underway) 

Stage 1 involves the construction and installation of a 115 megawatt (MW) / 230-megawatt hour (MWh) two-hour Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at the project site. 

The BESS will allow energy to be stored and released to the grid when it is most needed. Grid connection is accessible close to the site, meaning energy can be easily supplied in periods of high demand. The BESS will also help stabilise the grid when there are fluctuations in power supply. 

It will supply the National Energy Market with enough energy to power hundreds of thousands of homes each year. 

Estimated Stage 1 project timeline  

Stage 2 

Stage 2 will deliver an increase in the capacity and duration of energy storage to more than four hours, to support Victoria’s energy transition. This requires network upgrades to allow additional capacity which is not feasible in Stage 1.

Future stages

Future stages will incorporate a charging precinct for buses and commercial Electric Vehicles (EVs), supporting the transition to electric transportation

  • Utility-scale solar PV farm

  • Community infrastructure development

Each stage unlocks potential for emerging technologies and further innovation.