The State Electricity Commission of Victoria: a history, 1918 to 2022

The State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SECV) holds a central place in the history of the state’s power generation. It was initially established as the Electricity Commission in 1918, empowered to investigate, coordinate and ensure the supply of electricity for the state of Victoria, and was key in developing the exploitation of brown coal to power the state and ensure its energy independence. It drove the development of brown coal mining and the construction of coal-fired power stations in the Latrobe Valley.

The paper tells the story of the SECV as it developed over several decades, including the development of the Latrobe Valley over time, the impacts of war, the rapid expansion from the 1950s and the challenges of the 1980s, to its eventual disaggregation and dispersion in the early 1990s.

By the 1980s, its commitment to build larger power plants to meet ever-growing demand was challenged by the economic environment at the time. The 1990s brought the move to competition and ultimately a restructuring of the energy industry, prompted by the federal government.

1992 brought a change of government in Victoria and with it a complete restructure of the industry, followed by the SECV’s disaggregation and privatisation. The SECV became an administrative office within the Treasury, but in 2022 it was revived as a state-owned energy company as part of an election commitment. The new SEC was established in 2024, charged again with providing for the state’s energy needs—this time based on renewables.