❓ The Premier provides an update on the government's plans to build large-scale battery storage systems in Kwinana and Collie, highlighting the benefits for renewable energy integration and job creation. Contracts have been awarded for the projects, representing a significant investment in WA's energy transition.
AnsweredQoN 647Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ENERGY — BATTERY INSTALLATION
647. Ms J.L. HANNS to the Premier:
Just before I ask my question, I have
a couple of welcomes. On behalf of the member for Mount Lawley, I welcome the
winners of the Mount Lawley Society quiz night who are in the public gallery,
and on behalf of the member for Nedlands, I welcome the student leaders from
Shenton College.
I
refer to the Cook Labor government's commitment to cleaner, reliable
and affordable energy for Western Australia.
(1) Can the Premier update the house
on plans to build further big batteries in Kwinana and Collie?
(2) Can the Premier outline how these projects will
allow our energy system to harness the power of renewables whilst also
creating jobs?
647. Ms J.L. HANNS to the Premier:
Just before I ask my question, I have
a couple of welcomes. On behalf of the member for Mount Lawley, I welcome the
winners of the Mount Lawley Society quiz night who are in the public gallery,
and on behalf of the member for Nedlands, I welcome the student leaders from
Shenton College.
I
refer to the Cook Labor government's commitment to cleaner, reliable
and affordable energy for Western Australia.
(1) Can the Premier update the house
on plans to build further big batteries in Kwinana and Collie?
(2) Can the Premier outline how these projects will
allow our energy system to harness the power of renewables whilst also
creating jobs?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Collie–Preston
for the question and acknowledge her and her great support for the energy
transition that is central to the ongoing sustainability of her community.
(1)–(2)
One of the great successes of Western Australia is the level of uptake of
rooftop solar. In fact, the uptake of rooftop
solar is huge and growing. Thirty-six per cent of Western Australian households
have rooftop photovoltaic systems. That means that over a third of all
households that are part of the south west interconnected system are also
generators. One might ask what the collective effort of that is. If we combined
all the systems within the south west interconnected system, they could
generate twice as much electricity as the
state's largest power station at certain times of the day. That is a sign
of how much rooftop solar is contributing to our overall generation
capacity.
Of course, the challenge is always to
capture the power and harness it for use when the sun is not shining. That is
where our big battery strategy comes in. Batteries allow us to support more
renewables by storing wind and solar energy that is generated during the day
and delivering it back to the system during periods of high demand. In May, we
completed the construction of Western Australia's first large-scale
battery storage system in Kwinana. This battery is now feeding energy into the
system. At the same time, we confirmed our
investment in a further two, much bigger, battery storage systems—one
in Collie and another in Kwinana.
Today, I can confirm that Synergy has awarded contracts worth more than $1 billion
to deliver these grid-scale battery
energy storage systems in Kwinana and Collie. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd will supply about 300 battery systems for stage 2 of the Kwinana battery
and about 650 for Collie. Meanwhile, Power
Electronics will deliver 72 inverters for the Kwinana facility and 160
inverters for the Collie battery. The Collie battery energy storage
system will be the biggest in WA and will provide 500 megawatts of power, with
2 000 megawatt hours of storage. Kwinana battery stage 2 will provide 200
megawatts of power, with 800 megawatt hours of energy storage. Once completed,
our three big batteries combined will be able to power one million homes for
two hours. That is a million homes! That will
not only make a significant contribution to the system but also smooth the
system. It is a really important next
step as part of the energy transition to renewable power. It boils down to
cleaner, reliable and affordable energy for all Western Australians.
Today's contracts are part of
my government's $2.8 billion investment in renewable energy projects.
We recently struck our $3 billion Rewiring the Nation deal with the federal
Labor government, which will facilitate major upgrades of the SWIS and north
west interconnected system, allowing them to harness more renewables. We have dedicated $368 million to new large-scale wind
energy generation projects at King Rocks and near Eneabba. We are
supporting the burgeoning battery and hydrogen industries throughout the state,
particularly through the investment attraction fund, with $148 million in
payments made recently to companies that are at the cutting edge of our energy
transition.
I congratulate the Minister for
Energy for the great work he has done, particularly around steering our battery
energy strategy. I also commend the member for Collie–Preston for her
fierce advocacy on behalf of her community.
Collie will be a central point for our energy transition, as we not only
transition out of coal but also investigate and take up the opportunity
for renewable energy. Collie will still be a key distribution point for our
power network. We look forward to transitioning the jobs in that community and
seeing the growth of the Collie community into the future.
for the question and acknowledge her and her great support for the energy
transition that is central to the ongoing sustainability of her community.
(1)–(2)
One of the great successes of Western Australia is the level of uptake of
rooftop solar. In fact, the uptake of rooftop
solar is huge and growing. Thirty-six per cent of Western Australian households
have rooftop photovoltaic systems. That means that over a third of all
households that are part of the south west interconnected system are also
generators. One might ask what the collective effort of that is. If we combined
all the systems within the south west interconnected system, they could
generate twice as much electricity as the
state's largest power station at certain times of the day. That is a sign
of how much rooftop solar is contributing to our overall generation
capacity.
Of course, the challenge is always to
capture the power and harness it for use when the sun is not shining. That is
where our big battery strategy comes in. Batteries allow us to support more
renewables by storing wind and solar energy that is generated during the day
and delivering it back to the system during periods of high demand. In May, we
completed the construction of Western Australia's first large-scale
battery storage system in Kwinana. This battery is now feeding energy into the
system. At the same time, we confirmed our
investment in a further two, much bigger, battery storage systems—one
in Collie and another in Kwinana.
Today, I can confirm that Synergy has awarded contracts worth more than $1 billion
to deliver these grid-scale battery
energy storage systems in Kwinana and Collie. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd will supply about 300 battery systems for stage 2 of the Kwinana battery
and about 650 for Collie. Meanwhile, Power
Electronics will deliver 72 inverters for the Kwinana facility and 160
inverters for the Collie battery. The Collie battery energy storage
system will be the biggest in WA and will provide 500 megawatts of power, with
2 000 megawatt hours of storage. Kwinana battery stage 2 will provide 200
megawatts of power, with 800 megawatt hours of energy storage. Once completed,
our three big batteries combined will be able to power one million homes for
two hours. That is a million homes! That will
not only make a significant contribution to the system but also smooth the
system. It is a really important next
step as part of the energy transition to renewable power. It boils down to
cleaner, reliable and affordable energy for all Western Australians.
Today's contracts are part of
my government's $2.8 billion investment in renewable energy projects.
We recently struck our $3 billion Rewiring the Nation deal with the federal
Labor government, which will facilitate major upgrades of the SWIS and north
west interconnected system, allowing them to harness more renewables. We have dedicated $368 million to new large-scale wind
energy generation projects at King Rocks and near Eneabba. We are
supporting the burgeoning battery and hydrogen industries throughout the state,
particularly through the investment attraction fund, with $148 million in
payments made recently to companies that are at the cutting edge of our energy
transition.
I congratulate the Minister for
Energy for the great work he has done, particularly around steering our battery
energy strategy. I also commend the member for Collie–Preston for her
fierce advocacy on behalf of her community.
Collie will be a central point for our energy transition, as we not only
transition out of coal but also investigate and take up the opportunity
for renewable energy. Collie will still be a key distribution point for our
power network. We look forward to transitioning the jobs in that community and
seeing the growth of the Collie community into the future.
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