Yeyurringal Energy's $500m Shepparton battery enters approval stage

Yeyurringal Energy’s $500m battery energy storage system planned for Shepparton North has moved into its approval stage, after public submissions on the planning permit closed on 22 September 2026, Shepparton News reported.

Why it matters

The project is sited next to Shepparton’s Terminal Substation, a 220-kilowatt node on the Victorian Grid Backbone, a location Yeyurringal Energy chief technology officer Tony Peardon said removes the need to build new transmission towers to move the power. It is the first and largest of four similar battery projects the company has planned across northern Victoria and southern NSW, according to the outlet.

Yeyurringal Energy is an Indigenous social enterprise that was approached by renewable developer Avenis Energy, which wanted to partner with a local organisation on the build. Chief executive Kane Atkinson said the arrangement is meant to open employment pathways as much as deliver infrastructure. “Yeyurringal is the only First Nations business of its kind operating anywhere,” Atkinson said. The company is a sister organisation to Hawaii and US-based Star Energy, which Shepparton News reported has more than 15 years of experience in large-scale renewable energy and battery storage projects.

Yeyurringal has existing relationships with Powercor and the Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence, which the outlet said are set to create apprenticeships and career pathways in engineering and construction tied to the project.

The numbers

Beyond the $500m build cost and the more than 100 construction jobs the project is expected to generate, Shepparton News reported the battery could, if needed, supply 750,000 houses for about four hours, according to Peardon. The deal is structured as an initial 20-year agreement, with the battery itself rated for up to 50 years of operation. Each year of operation is intended to generate a financial benefit that flows through Munarra to fund career pathways and other community benefits across the region, the outlet reported, though no annual dollar figure was disclosed. Beyond construction, at least four ongoing full-time roles are expected once the plant is operating.

What’s next

Shepparton News reported the planning permit is now in its approval stage, which is expected to take between four and 12 months from the close of submissions. Peardon said the project falls inside a fast-tracked planning zone, meaning builders should be on site by mid-2027 for a construction run of roughly 18 months. The outlet reported three more large-scale battery projects are expected to enter planning within the next year across northern Victoria, part of what Yeyurringal and Avenis frame as a broader pipeline of grid-support storage for the region.