- Upgrades expand capacity, target key industrial areas to drive economic growth
- Utilities directed to do more to support local industry in procurement
- Transmission expansion will unlock over two gigawatts of renewable energy generation prior to 2030
The Cook Government has released a comprehensive plan to upgrade the State's main power grid and boost local content to create quality jobs and business opportunities for Western Australians.
The South West Interconnected System (SWIS) Transmission Plan is the blueprint to build the power grid needed to support the State's clean energy transition to make Western Australia a renewable energy powerhouse.
The plan will expand network capacity, power Strategic Industrial Areas (SIAs), and drive economic growth, to benefit all Western Australians now, and well into the future.
The result is a backbone that will enable coal generation to be phased out, support the growth of new industries that will diversify and strengthen WA's economy, and enable the decarbonisation and electrification of existing industries.
Announced with the plan's release, Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson will issue Directions to Western Power, Synergy, and Horizon Power under the Government Trading Enterprises Act 2023 that will drive local content procurement.
Designed to expand manufacturing in WA to make more things here, the Directions will require the utilities to design tenders in a way that gives local businesses a real chance to compete and win.
The plan takes a three-phased approach to upgrading and expanding the SWIS.
Phase one upgrades include the Kwinana SIA and Western Trade Coast, Coolangatta Industrial Estate, and Kemerton SIA, to make a combined 1,500 megawatts available to support future industry growth.
The Coolangatta Industrial Estate is a crucial component to support the Collie Just Transition.
Phase two projects include Chittering, Moora, Collie, and around metropolitan Perth.
Phase Three will expand Western Power's network to support economic diversification through the development of new green industries.
For more information, go to Mapping a Future-Ready Transmission Network for the South West Interconnected System .
As stated by Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson:
"The SWIS Transmission Plan is our blueprint for infrastructure upgrades that will support our energy transition and ensure WA becomes a renewable energy powerhouse.
"We've taken our long-term vision for the SWIS and mapped the transmission needed to deliver it.
"The plan facilitates the delivery of an energy transition that benefits all Western Australians, reimagining how the network can robustly support our State now, and well into the future.
"Ultimately, it will mean a decarbonised energy system delivering clean, cost-competitive energy to Western Australian households and businesses.
"The Cook Government is also backing our manufacturing sector. I will issue new Directions to Western Power, Synergy, and Horizon Power to ensure Western Australian businesses and workers benefit from the pipeline of work that will flow from the SWIS upgrade for years to come.
"Transmission is a vital enabler for decarbonisation, and for a more diverse, more resilient and more prosperous Western Australian economy."
