A new government entity, PoweringWA, is being developed within the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, to support a move to renewables to help power WA's main electricity network.
PoweringWA's establishment follows on from the government's announcement mid last year of the staged retirement of all State-owned coal-fired generators by 2030.
Speaking on the issue in parliament last week, WA's Energy Minister Bill Johnston said forward modelling suggested WA's electricity demands could increase five-fold by 2050, meaning renewable energy generation, storage and transmission would need to be built at an "unprecedented scale" to support WA's main electricity network, the South West Interconnected System.
"This new government entity will coordinate the actions required to deliver new electricity infrastructure at the pace needed for decarbonisation," Mr Johnston said.
"Transforming WA's electricity system is a complex but necessary task, and the scope of it reaches outside any single government trading enterprise and beyond the responsibilities of any existing agency.
"An infrastructure build of this scale requires community support, and we are committed to ensuring communities are brought along on the journey from the beginning."
If the forward estimates for the State's electricity requirements are correct, in order to service this increase, Mr Johnston said more than 4000 kilometres of new and upgraded transmission network would be required to access "renewable resources at the lowest cost".
A State government spokesperson said to manage the transition to more renewables in WA's main electricity grid, Synergy plans to develop at least 410 megawatts (MW) of new renewable generation capacity and 1100 MW / 4400 megawatt hours (MWh) of energy storage infrastructure.
Projects announced by Synergy to date include the King Rocks Wind Farm, the Collie Battery Energy Storage System, and the Kwinana Battery Energy Storage System 2, in addition to the already completed KBESS1 facility.
With many renewable energy projects having the ability to co-exist with existing land uses whilst creating additional income for landholders, the spokesperson said for local communities, projects can bring benefits such as jobs and workforce development.
"The State government, through PoweringWA, is actively reviewing compensation options for any new transmission corridors and looking at providing guidance to renewable energy proponents on this," the spokesperson said.
In relation to the protections in place for landholders that are approached by renewable energy developers, landholders have an opportunity to negotiate a contract with the developers, who will then be held to the conditions of that contract under existing legal frameworks.
"PoweringWA will work with communities and peak bodies in WA to work out what additional protections for landowners, if any, might be needed," the spokesperson said.
"It will also be reviewing guidance for renewable energy proponents elsewhere and looking at the best approach to support landowners in WA."
Despite the creation of PoweringWA, Mr Johnston said Western Power's responsibility for the planning, design and delivery of transmission projects would continue, as would the responsibility of renewable energy proponents for the delivery of their projects.
