Joint media release: Delivering reliable renewables for Western Australia

The Hon Chris Bowen MP, Minister for Climate Change and Energy

The Hon Reece Whitby MLP, WA Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Action

The Albanese and Cook Governments are working to secure investment certainty for reliable renewable energy projects in Western Australia following the signing of a Renewable Energy Transformation Agreement and opening of registration today for the first Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) tender for Western Australia.

The agreement – designed to knock over the barriers that developers, communities, and governments face in delivering renewable energy projects – is part of the Albanese Government’s plan to deliver an additional 32 gigawatts of renewable generation and storage in Australia by 2030.

Under the agreement, the Albanese Government will underwrite developers to build a minimum 6.5 terawatt hours of new wind and solar projects in WA, as well as 1.1 gigawatts of new storage helping keep the electricity grid stable and make sure Western Australia always has enough cheap dispatchable power at peak periods, while increasing energy reliability and affordability.

This builds on the Cook Government’s commitment to retire its State-owned coal-fired power stations by 2030 and replace them with reliable renewable electricity generation and storage while maintaining reliability through the Reserve Capacity Mechanism.

The Western Australian and the Federal Governments have also committed to a range of practical actions as part of the agreement that will improve community engagement and drive better social and economic outcomes from the energy transformation.

This includes increasing First Nations participation and benefits, progressing skills and workforce development, and reinforcing renewable energy supply chains.

The first CIS tender in WA and opening today will target 2,000 megawatt hours of dispatchable capacity in the State’s Wholesale Electricity Market, enough to power 450,000 homes. It builds on the success of the first national CIS tender, which received more than 25 gigawatts of bids for a 6 gigawatt tender.

Registrations and tender guidelines are available through the AEMO Services website.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen:

“This is an important day for Western Australia and our partnership that’s delivering certainty and progress, and cheap, clean reliable energy to the market and to households.

“Through our Renewable Energy Transformation Agreement we’re collaborating to lower the remaining obstacles to delivery of energy infrastructure, and ensuring progress continues seamlessly across jurisdictions.

“The Albanese Government’s Reliable Renewables Plan is the only plan backed by experts to deliver the cheap, reliable and resilient energy system that families and businesses deserve. This is in sharp contrast to Peter Dutton’s anti-renewables nuclear fantasy which remains uncosted and unexplained.”

Quotes attributable to WA Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Action Reece Whitby:

“The Cook Labor Government is already investing more than $5 billion in new solar, wind and battery developments, with the Capacity Investment Scheme set to further bolster Western Australia’s decarbonisation efforts.

“We want to continue providing WA households and businesses with clean, reliable, and affordable power.

“The procurement of additional storage will be critical for firming wind and solar power during peak demand, complementing existing public and private investment in big batteries in Collie and Kwinana.”