Plans are progressing for the delivery of a new high-capacity common use transmission line to link renewable energy generation in the Maitland Strategic Industrial Area with Karratha and major Pilbara industry players.

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Traditional Owners, the Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation, and Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation—who have formed an alliance for the project that is part of a working group with the state government—are continuing to work alongside Perdaman, Woodside, and Yara Pilbara on the groundbreaking development.

The project has the potential to be the first in the state to attract concessional finance from the Commonwealth’s Rewiring the Nation fund, up to $3 billion of which has been allocated to WA.

It is anticipated the Maitland-Karratha-Burrup line will provide the template for future common use renewable infrastructure to support the region’s decarbonisation.

Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said, “Development of the planned Maitland-Karratha-Burrup line represents the first major step in decarbonising the Pilbara and will help drive my Government’s plans to make WA a green energy powerhouse.

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“This project has strong potential to unlock additional job-creating opportunities on the Burrup Peninsula, while meeting growing demand for clean, reliable energy.

“With support for Traditional Owners and industry, this project has strong potential to create quality local jobs, build better regions and deliver economic growth that benefits all Western Australians.”

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The project, which is now fully operational, includes a 704kW solar farm, 348kW hydrogen electrolyser and a 100kW fuel cell located in Denham, providing an innovative alternative to diesel generators. It is expected to offset 140,000 litres of diesel each year.

The unique integration of renewable energy and hydrogen components sets the project apart from others in Australia.

The Public Knowledge Sharing Report will help to advance learnings in technology, costs, regulatory requirements as well as the community sentiment around using hydrogen as a fuel source.

It will be used to determine how hydrogen technology can be applied in other remote microgrids.

The project was funded by the Western Australian Government, including through the Renewable Hydrogen Fund and Horizon Power, and ARENA‘s Advancing Renewables Program.

WA Premier Roger Cook said, “I want to see WA become a renewable energy powerhouse, and hydrogen will have an important role to play in our clean energy future.

“This innovative project helps to reduce our reliance on diesel in remote areas, delivering cleaner, affordable and reliable power for Denham.

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“The knowledge we’ve gained through this pilot project will help to guide future remote uses of renewable hydrogen across WA and the rest of the nation.”

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Synergy has installed the containerised battery systems at what will be WA’s biggest grid-connected battery energy storage system, providing 200MW of power with 800MWh of energy storage.

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Once complete, the new battery system will be capable of powering 370,000 average homes in WA for approximately four hours.

The Western Australian Government is investing more than $3 billion towards renewable energy generation, transmission and storage, which includes supporting Synergy to expand its portfolio of battery assets to 3000MWh of storage capacity by the end of 2025.

Installation of the Kwinana batteries comes as Synergy gears up to begin works early this year in Collie on one of Australia’s biggest lithium-based batteries. Once built, that battery will provide 500MW of power with 2000MWh of energy storage.

Large-scale battery storage helps to provide system stability and supports the continued uptake of renewable electricity generation in the South West Interconnected System.
Newly installed battery systems at Kwinana Battery Stage Two were supplied by Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL). Power Electronics has been contracted to provide 72 inverters.

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Premier Roger Cook said, “The Kwinana Battery Stage Two is a key part of our energy transition, ensuring WA has cleaner, reliable and affordable energy in the future.

“These large-scale batteries allow us to pump more renewable energy into the grid while keeping our system stable—and it’s great to see this transition happened right in the heart of the Kwinana industrial strip.”

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Upgrades to WA’s electricity transmission network are essential to enable large-scale renewable energy generation to connect to the grid, for both domestic use and to facilitate new industries like renewable hydrogen.

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The state government will deliver $575 million to increase capacity of the network’s northern section, including a new 330kV double circuit transmission line between Malaga and Pinjar, enabling massive renewable energy generation projects in the Mid West to connect to the grid.

A further $133 million will be invested towards planning for new lines, reinforcements and upgrades around key industrial areas, including Kwinana and Collie, as well as upgrades between Geraldton and Perth to support development at Oakajee.

Strengthening the northern transmission network is critical, with modelling indicating a 10‑fold increase in renewable generation may be needed to meet future low-emissions electricity demand.

To support this transition, the state government will establish PoweringWA to coordinate the delivery of new electricity infrastructure at the pace needed for decarbonisation.

Located within the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, PoweringWA will coordinate the build of transmission, renewable generation, and storage infrastructure.

It will be responsible for planning, community consultation, industry liaison and project management, ensuring appropriate consideration is given to environmental, cultural and social issues, while delivering a reliable and low emissions electricity supply for all users.

Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said, “This is the largest investment in transmission infrastructure in WA in more than 10 years and is an important step on the transformation of our main electricity grid.

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“Growing our electricity network is critical to unlocking our renewable energy potential—to reduce our own emissions, and to help countries across the region reduce theirs.

“This investment alone will allow us to slash emissions by around 2.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, create significant job opportunities in the regions, and put our state on the path to becoming a global renewable energy powerhouse.”

The post $708m investment to power WA’s renewables boom appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) has been contracted to supply about 300 EnerC Plus, containerised liquid-cooling battery systems for Kwinana Battery Stage Two, and about 650 EnerC Plus for Collie.

Related article: Synergy secures Kwinana 2 battery approval

Power Electronics will deliver 72 inverters for the Kwinana battery and 160 inverters for the Collie battery.

Kwinana Battery Stage Two will provide 200MW of power with 800MWh of energy storage. Construction started on Kwinana Battery Stage Two in June and is estimated for completion at the end of 2024. The Collie battery will be the biggest in the state, providing 500MW of power with 2,000MWh of storage.

The batteries will support more renewables by storing wind and solar energy generated during the day and delivering it back to the system during high-demand periods.

Related article: WA’s first big battery operational, second on the way

Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said, “These contracts, worth more than $1 billion, represent a major and important investment by our government into WA’s cleaner, reliable and affordable energy future.

“Battery energy storage systems will play a key role in our decarbonisation plans, storing excess renewable energy generated in the day and discharging during times of high demand.”

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