Title

VicGrid Renewable Energy Zone study area 2024 

Alternate title

REZ_Study_Area_2024 

Purpose

The 2024 study area informed the 2025 Victorian Transmission Plan and was published in the 2024 VTP Guidelines. The 2024 study area is the resulting combination of areas that offer high opportunities for renewable energy development (such as where wind and solar resources are strong) and lower overall constraints (which reflect the potential impact or disturbance from development) across the whole of Victoria.   Tier 1: VicGrid prioritised the investigation of these areas for future renewable energy generation and transmission infrastructure, based on the combination of high opportunities and low constraints for wind and solar.   Tier 2: These areas were suitable for investigation, based on the combination of moderate-high opportunities and low-moderate constraints. Some of these are close to key locations where wind and solar can connect to the network.   Tier 3: These areas were available for investigation. This tier contains a mix of areas. Some have moderate opportunities and constraints, and others have higher opportunities and lower constraints but are a significant distance from available 500kV transmission lines.   Deprioritised area: These areas contain a combination of low opportunities and high constraints. VicGrid did not prioritise the investigation of these areas for the 2025 Victorian Transmission Plan.   Avoidance area: Avoidance areas highlight early areas to protect and avoid where there are significant sensitive land use and landscape value.   The Victorian Planning Provisions include specific prohibitions for permits to develop wind energy facilities in certain circumstances and locations, which include specific designated locations with high landscape or environmental value. These prohibition areas were introduced into the Victorian Planning Provisions in 2012 and are shown in the study area. They include the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges, Mornington and Bellarine Peninsulas, Macedon and McHarg Ranges, and land within 5km of the Great Ocean Road, Bass Coast and the coast east of Warrnambool. Solar facilities are not subject to the same prohibitions in these locations. 

Status

Completed  

Code

VicGrid on GDA2020 

Maintenance and update frequency

Not planned  

Topic category

• Environment
• Climatology, meteorology, atmosphere
• Utilities communication
• Boundaries

Use limitation

For limited internal use only While the State of Victoria has made reasonable efforts to ensure the quality and accuracy of the information in this map, the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the map is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore, to the extent permitted by law, disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this map. Anyone proposing to use the information in this data (which is informed by information and forecasts from third parties) should independently verify its accuracy, completeness, and suitability for purpose, and obtain independent and specific advice from appropriate experts. 

Classification

Limited Distribution  

Classification

Unclassified  

Attribute Quality

Positional Accuracy

Conceptual Consistency

Missing Data

Excess Data