The Smart Energy Council welcomes a major announcement from the Albanese and Cook Governments supporting 1.9 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable generation and 482 megawatts (MW) of battery storage across 10 projects in regional Western Australia.
The announcement represents a significant step forward in strengthening Western Australia’s energy system – delivering cleaner power at scale, backed by storage, and reinforcing long-term energy security as the state prepares to exit coal-fired generation by 2030.
The projects, supported through the Federal Government’s Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS), form part of a broader pipeline of investment in wind, solar and battery storage across WA.
This includes increased State Government infrastructure investment across CEL North, East and Kwinana, as well as the recently announced Synergy power purchase agreements (PPAs) delivering around 1 GW of additional capacity.
Taken together, these developments mark a coordinated lift in investment – helping to accelerate the build-out of firmed renewable energy across the state.
Smart Energy Council State Manager for WA, John Welch, said the announcement sends a strong signal about the direction of the state’s energy system.
“There is no silver bullet for the shift, and there is still more work ahead, but these decisions, alongside recent State Government announcements and PPAs, send a clear signal of intent to get the transition done, and we strongly welcome them.”
Mr Welch said the focus on combining large-scale renewable generation with battery storage was essential to maintaining reliability.
“Replacing legacy generation with renewables built to perform when it matters most is critical to strengthening energy security while helping to keep down costs and reducing emissions,” he said.
The Smart Energy Council also acknowledged the role of industry in delivering these projects, including member organisations such as Synergy and Atmos Renewables, which were successful in this CIS round.
The Council said the announcement demonstrates how coordinated policy, investment and industry delivery can drive meaningful progress toward a modern, reliable and lower-emissions energy system.
Media contact: Tim Lamacraft – tim@smartenergy.org.au – 0448 972 192
