All up 41 per cent of Victoria’s power on Saturday was generated by renewable energy as the temperature soared past 40 degrees in locations across the state. Fourteen per cent of that came from wind energy. 

With gusts of almost 70 km/h hitting the Central Highlands region during the afternoon, the 128-turbine Waubra Wind Farm was able to produce 2529 megawatt hours of electricity, enough to power more than 238,000 homes. 

The extreme temperature comes as the state grapples with the loss of the Hazelwood Power Station, which was shut in March 2017. 

In a statement Energy, environment and Climate Change Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said “We are in the midst of a major global transformation and we’re making sure Victoria is equipped with the next generation of energy technologies that will support a resilient energy system that delivers affordable and reliable energy for all Victorians”. 

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Last year the state government unveiled a renewable energy reverse auction, which will award contracts for 650 megawatts of renewable energy to be fed into the grid. 

Successful tender applications are expected to be announced later this year and all suppliers will need to be in full commercial operation by the end of 2020.

Works on the Moorabool and Lal Lal Wind Farms expected to begin in the coming months, while Goldwind confirmed finance had been secured for the mammoth Stockyard Hill wind development last month, paving the way for work on the 149-turbine farm in the Pyrenees Shire to begin before the middle of the year. 

Opposition leader Matthew Guy declined to say what he would do to encourage wind growth throughout the region when asked on Tuesday, saying “those industries don’t want to survive on subsidies, they want to survive in their own right”.