The Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio, Minister for the State Electricity Commission (Vic), Media Release, 10 July 2026
Labor is delivering an Australian-first battery in the Latrobe Valley to drive down power prices.
The SEC’s fourth project, SEC Energy Works near Morwell is a 143-hectare site that will host multiple renewable energy technologies.
These technologies will stabilise the grid and help lower power bills for Victorians.
The first project is the SEC Compressed Air Battery (SEC CAB), a 20-megawatt closed-loop, compressed CO2 battery.
This Australian first technology will be able to hold three times the electricity of a large-scale lithium-ion battery.
It will store cheap renewable electricity generated during the day, and release it back into the grid overnight, putting downward pressure on energy prices.
This battery will be delivered by Energy Dome and will support up to 66 jobs and the region’s transition from coal.
The SEC will continue to add projects to the site, expanding renewable energy and storage in the Latrobe Valley.
This investment is part of Labor’s Victorian Energy Jobs Plan, which is delivering more than $18 billion in wages to regional Victorian workers by 2040 and $4.6 billion in Latrobe-Gippsland region alone.
Only Labor will maintain the lowest electricity prices in the country, deliver the replacement energy infrastructure needed to keep the lights on and put regional jobs first.
To build the workforce Victoria needs for its energy future, Labor has established the SEC Apprenticeship Academy, which will provide 2,000 electrical trade apprenticeships over four years.
Jess Wilson’s Liberal One Nation Coalition, will privatise the SEC again and stop the energy transition, ripping this $18 billion in wages from regional workers, sending power bills skyrocketing and letting the lights go out.
What is Jess Wilson’s plan to keep the lights on in Victoria? Will she bow down to her One Nation colleagues and put expensive toxic nuclear power plants across regional Victoria?
Quotes attributable to Minister for the State Electricity Commission Lily D’Ambrosio
“Labor has turned the Latrobe Valley into one of the best places to invest in energy in the country.”
“This Australian-first battery will help lower power prices and increase gird reliability for households and industry.”
“Jess Wilson’s Liberal One Nation Coalition want to replace this with nuclear power, nuclear waste and $40 billion in cuts.”
Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Tom McIntosh
“The Liberal One Nation Coalition will tear up Labors Regional Energy Jobs Guarantee and rip away $4.62 billion in local wages for our Latrobe-Gippsland region. Our community can’t afford the Liberal One Nation Coalition.”
“Labor is creating jobs in the Latrobe Valley right now. Jess Wilson and One Nation will take this away from local workers and increase their power prices”
