Two Australian BESS projects in South Australia and Victoria have been submitted to the federal government under the EPBC Act.

Australian renewable energy generator and retailer Pacific Blue has referred an 855MWh BESS in Victoria to Australia's EPBC Act.

Two Australian battery storage projects in Queensland and Victoria have entered federal environmental review.

The Federal Government is implementing its EPBC Act reforms in stages.

The long-anticipated reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act) passed both houses of...

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Gingerah Energy has referred a 1GW data centre complex with a 5GWh BESS in Western Australia to Australia's EPBC Act.

Gingerah Energy has referred a 1GW data centre complex with a 5GWh BESS in Western Australia to Australia's EPBC Act.

Gingerah Energy has submitted its Project Meridien, an off-grid data centre and renewable energy hub for evaluation under Australia’s EPBC Act (Australian government press release, 21/10/2026). The…

Protecting the nature of the Kimberley

Australian energy company AGL has referred a 500MWh BESS in Queensland to the federal government under Australia's EPBC Act.

AGL Energy has submitted its 125 MW/500 MWh Abermain BESS project for federal approval from the Australian government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act…

Samsung C&T’s Australian renewables arm has referred an 800MWh BESS to the federal government under Australia’s EPBC Act.

EDF Power Solutions Australia has referred a wind-plus-storage project featuring an 800MWh BESS for assessment under Australia's EPBC Act.

Origin Energy has referred a new BESS project, Eraring BESS North, for assessment under Australia's EPBC Act.

Andrew Forrest's Squadron Energy has lodged a formal referral with the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Office for its Ballyrogan wind project, a proposal that has contracted significantly in scale to navigate the political constraints of western Victoria. The current application seeks approval for a 690 megawatt (MW) facility comprising up to 115 turbines on nearly 14,000 hectares west of the Grampians, a substantial reduction from the original 1.3 gigawatt (GW) plan involving 164 turbines. This adjustment reflects a strategic recalibration of the project's physical footprint and community interface in response to mounting political risk, rather than a shift in its underlying technical or financial structure. The mechanism of approval remains tied to federal environmental law, yet the project's viability is increasingly contingent on state-level political dynamics. Squadron is initiating this federal process during a period of extreme uncertainty for the Victorian energy sector, where polls indicate the Coalition is favoured to win the upcoming election. A potential Coalition victory would likely trigger commitments to cancel the Victorian North-Interstate (VNI) West interconnector, review the Western Renewables Link (WRL), and restore merit appeals for renewable energy projects. The WRL is critical to the Ballyrogan design, as the facility is intended to connect to this transmission line via a 45-kilometre, 220-kilovolt (kV) overhead cable. Without the WRL proceeding as scheduled, the financial logic of the project's grid connection could be undermined, exposing Squadron to significant regulatory and financial risk despite the $3 billion valuation of the development. Squadron has embedded specific community safeguards into the proposal to align with the policy positions of the Victorian Coalition, thereby attempting to defuse local opposition. The design now enforces a minimum two-kilometre buffer from all non-associated homes, exceeding the previous one-kilometre planning control. Furthermore, the project structure includes direct financial mechanisms for neighbouring residents: those living up to three kilometres from a turbine are offered $2,000 per turbine per year, while those in the three-to-four-kilometre radius receive $1,000 per turbine annually. A community benefits fund of approximately $725,000 will also be distributed over the project's operational life. Alastair Smith, Squadron's general manager of development, stated that these measures reflect a decision to go beyond standard controls based on proximity, aiming for a transparent and equitable process. However, local opposition groups, such as the Ballyrogan & Tatyoon Community Alliance, argue that the financial compensation does not resolve the physical presence of turbines within four kilometres of residences, highlighting the tension between monetary mitigation and physical impact.

Portuguese energy developer TagEnergy has submitted its Morwell battery energy storage system (BESS) project to Australia’s environment department for assessment under the EPBC Act. Located in…

Lightsource bp has referred its 600 MW Narrogin East Renewable energy project in Western Australia for assessment under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act…