Developer warns wind energy capacity may not be ready by WA coal deadline
The WA government has set a 2030 deadline for the wind-down of coal-fired power generation, and has backed onshore wind as a key part of the state's new electricity mix.
Projects planned for southern WA include wind farms around West Arthur, Narrogin, Williams, Boddington and Scott River.
However, many are yet to begin construction and a developer says the 2030 deadline may need to be extended to keep the lights on.
In Boddington, about 130 kilometres south of Perth, the companies behind the Marradong Wind Farm are yet to make a final investment decision.
The 45-turbine, 300-megawatt project is a collaboration between developers Wind with Purpose and Quenda Wind Power.
The latter is a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, which partially owns the struggling Bluewaters Power Station in Collie.
Quenda business development head Daniel Kurz said meeting the state government's 2030 "line in the sand" would be challenging.
Wind with Purpose chief executive Chris Kearney said while the project was currently on track to be operational by 2029, there was not much wiggle room.
"If we don't hit our targets for getting this project online, and likewise if Western Power don't have the infrastructure to connect these projects, then the reality is coal-fired power plants may have to stay online a few years longer than planned," he said.
The Marradong Wind Farm would use existing power infrastructure in the area.
But 100km down the road, RES Australia's wind farm — more than twice the size of the Marradong project with 110 turbines — would rely on transmission infrastructure being upgraded.
Once operational, the project in Dardadine, 197km south-east of Perth, would generate enough electricity to power up to 450,000 homes.
It is also yet to progress beyond the consultation and assessment stage.
Development director Greg Wilkinson said construction should start by 2028, with a view to being fully operational by the end of 2031.
But he said if the project went ahead and the power infrastructure was ready, he was willing to bring it forward.
"We're working with Western Power and Powering WA to ensure that we can get this project up and powering WA homes as soon as we can," Mr Wilkinson said.
The Clean Energy Council's Chris O'Keefe said a lack of transmission lines was a sticking point for the industry.
"The WA government needs to build 250 kilometres of new transmission lines," he said.
"[Otherwise] we might have a situation where we're generating two or three gigawatts of onshore wind, yet there's not enough transmission to get it to the places where it needs to get to."
The Cook government's latest budget included $584.3 million to be spent on network upgrades and the expansion of the Clean Energy Link.
It has also promised to set up transmission manufacturing hubs in Perth and the South West.
The WA government said it was not relying on a controversial, federally backed offshore wind project to be ready by 2030.
But Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said onshore wind would be "critical" heading into 2030.
"We do support a sensible mix of renewable energy and big battery storage … [and] we will still continue to need gas as a firming fuel as we exit coal," she said.
Ms Sanderson said she would work with proponents on what was needed.
However, Mr O'Keefe said he was worried work was not happening quickly enough.
"They need to crack on with that if that 2030 target is to be met."
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