The state government has committed $2.8 billion to four green energy projects, as part of an ongoing commitment to its net zero emissions by 2050 target.
The state government has committed $2.8 billion to four green energy projects, as part of an ongoing commitment to its net zero emissions by 2050 target.
The $2.8 billion investment announced in today’s budget will go to energy storage, wind power generation and transmission network upgrades on the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) – the state’s main power grid.
A total $2.3 billion will be dedicated to batteries, including an energy storage system at Collie which the government said had the potential to provide around 500 megawatts.
That system will be operational before the end of 2025. The sum also includes funding for a 200MW Kwinana Battery Energy Storage System which will complement the existing Kwinana big battery.
In December last year, Business News reported that a proposal by French energy provider NeoEn proposed to build a battery facility at Collie had been approved by a regional planning body.
The batteries will collect excess energy from rooftop solar during the day and release it at peak times to complement the existing grid.
“The South West Interconnected System, our main electricity grid, is in the middle of a significant transformation: moving from a high-emissions, thermal generation base, to a low-emissions renewable future,” Energy Minister Bill Johnston said in a release this morning.
“The McGowan government’s significant investments in wind generation, storage and transmission infrastructure in this state budget are a critical step forward in that transition.”
A coal producing town, Collie is currently the home of two state-owned coal power stations to be shuttered by 2030.
The state budget’s green energy commitment also includes $368 million for large-scale renewable energy generation projects including a new wind farm at King Rocks and the potential expansion of Bright Energy Investments’ Warradarge Wind Farm near Eneabba.
Last November, the state-owned Water Corporation announced it had purchased the development rights to the Flat Rocks wind farm near Kojonup from a private company. The project is expected to cost more than $200 million to develop and will allow the Water Corp to transition off electricity purchased from the privately-owned Bluewaters Power station at Collie.
The three projects at Eneabba, King Rocks and Flat Rocks form the initial pipeline which was earmarked for development in June 2022, when the Collie power station closure was announced. Premier Mark McGowan said the overall investment would facilitate a transition to a greener grid.
“This significant investment in battery storage in this budget will ensure new renewable generation is ‘firmed’ so electricity supply can always meet demand in an increasingly green grid,” he said.
The investment announcement comes days following the release of a study into the SWIS which revealed the network could require as much as 51 gigawatts of new energy generation and storage capacity over the next 20 years to meet industry needs.
A $126 million investment towards electricity network planning and upgrades was announced alongside that report.
The full 2023/24 state budget will be revealed this afternoon.
