/ABOUT THE PROJECT

/Overview
/Project Timeline
/Location

/ Overview

Venn Energy is developing the Cooba Solar Project in Colbinabbin, Central Victoria. The development received approval in June 2025 and will include a solar farm plus Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), which will occupy 665 hectares of a 1,147 hectare site.

Construction is expected to take approximately 12-18 months, once the final grid connection approval is received.

The Cooba Solar Project is expected to be operational from early 2029 with a 30-year project life. Once operational, Cooba will generate enough clean energy to power over 145,000 homes per year, contributing to Victoria’s renewable energy targets of 65% by 2030 and 95% by 2035.

Cooba Project Layout Map Revision W
Figure 1: Context plan of the project

/Project Development TIMELINE

Understand the timeline and steps involved in developing the Cooba Solar Project.

STAGE 1.
Planning (2 years)
Site Identification
  • Site visits
  • Host landowner agreements
Preliminary Studies
  • Feasibility and initial assessments
  • Early development layout
  • Scoping report
Specialist studies
  • Aboriginal cultural heritage
  • Biodiversity
  • Glint and glare
  • Historic heritage
  • Hydrology
  • Landscape and visual
  • Noise
  • Transport
  • Social impact assessment
  • Soils and Agriculture
  • Other environmental assessments
STAGE 2.
Approvals (1 years)
Planning and environmental approvals
  • Planning Permit Application (Vic)
  • Submission to Government planning authorities
Management plans and consents
  • Emergency and bushfire
  • Traffic & construction
  • Environment and waterways
CURRENT STAGE
STAGE 3.
Construction (2 years)
Procurement
  • Detailed design
  • Geotechnical studies
  • Technology and contractor selection
  • Grid connection process
Construction
  • Road upgrades
  • Civil and electrical
  • Installation of project infrastructure (eg: solar panels etc)
  • Commissioning
STAGE 4.
Operation (30 years)
Operation
  • Maintenance
  • Servicing
  • Environmental compliance (e.g. noise monitoring)

*This outlines the typical steps undertaken by the developer but is not exhaustive and
does not reflect all regulatory processes, government decisions, or the precise timing and duration of each stage.

WATCH: As part of the planning application, a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) was completed. The video provides an overview of the project and identifies the location of the six Key Observation Points (KOPS) relative to the project.

/ WHY HAS THIS LOCATION BEEN CHOSEN

The greatest challenge for selecting where to develop new solar farms is identifying areas within the electricity grid with available capacity to connect. Once an area of the grid has been identified with capacity, planning experts assess the viability of the area based on various opportunities and constraints such as ecology, transport arrangements, landscape value, cultural heritage significance, agricultural land value, hazards, amenity impacts, etc.

Venn Energy has chosen the proposed site as an ideal place for a solar farm for the following reasons:

  • The site is in an area of excellent solar exposure.
  • The site has an existing transmission line, allowing for easy connectivity to the grid.
  • The site has already been largely cleared of native vegetation and heavily disturbed by previous agricultural activities including cropping.
  • The proposed layout allows for the minimal disturbance of native vegetation and wildlife.

/WHAT IT MEANS FOR VICTORIA

power produced
0 MW
homes powered
0
carbon dioxide saved per year
0 t