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<\/p>\nWA’s environmental watchdog has quietly released for public comment a plan for a mega gas-fired power plant on the same day the state government trumpeted an ambitious plan to almost double renewable energy generation in the next five years.<\/p>\n
At 870-megawatts, the privately-owned power plant would be the state’s biggest and located in Keralup, about 75 kilometres south of Perth.<\/p>\n
Developed by energy giant APA, the Keralup Energy Hub would comprise a 210 megawatt facility for a future bio-fertiliser production facility, and a 660 megawatt facility, which will eventually plug into the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) \u2014 WA’s main electricity grid.<\/p>\n
By comparison, WA’s largest gas-fired station Pinjar has a 576 megawatt capacity, and the ongoing upgrade to the existing gas-fired Kwinana Swift Power Station will allow it to generate a total of 340 megawatts.<\/p>\n
Asked if she saw the irony in announcing renewable energy targets amid the huge gas station proposal, \u00a0Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson Sanderson said she did not want to pre-empt the approvals process.<\/p>\n
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Along with solar and battery power, wind energy will help fulfil the state’s future power needs. (ABC News: Daniel Mercer)<\/p>\n
“We’ve been very clear, and the premier has been very clear in his priorities for our economy and that is that we will become a renewable energy powerhouse,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ms Sanderson warned WA businesses could face price rises of 89 per cent by 2032 if the state did not radically scale up its renewable energy generation.<\/p>\n
Government subsidies shield households from fluctuating power prices, but businesses are more vulnerable to turbulent costs caused, for example, by the supply impacts of the US-Israel war with Iran.<\/p>\n
Ms Sanderson said the proportion of green power generated by the SWIS needed to jump from 40 per cent to 75 per cent over the next five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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There has been a huge uptake in rooftop solar panels in WA in recent years. (ABC News: Joshua Spong)<\/p>\n
That additional generation would mainly come from a mixture of wind, battery and solar power, and would also be supported by gas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The WA Greens welcomed the renewable energy target for the SWIS, but said other parts of the state were falling behind, including the North West, which had a “staggeringly low 2 per cent renewable energy”.<\/p>\n
Greens fossil fuels and climate change spokesperson Sophie McNeill said the government needed to stop approving new gas projects, including the proposed Keralup power station, which she said would have “shocking climate consequences”.<\/p>\n
The government also highlighted a program, launched today following delays, that allows local manufacturers to take low-interest loans of up to $15 million to install solar and battery systems, and upgrade equipment.<\/p>\n
Linchpin of WA’s future energy supply\u00a0<\/p>\n
The scaling up of renewable energy is shaping as a linchpin of WA’s future energy supply, but is also key to the state government’s stated ambition of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, in line with the federal target.<\/p>\n
Battery charging mystery draw regulator’s eye<\/a><\/p>\n Batteries have been hailed as an antidote to price pain, but strange charging behaviour in WA has pushed the market higher. The regulator is preparing to intervene.<\/p>\n WA would need to roll out renewables at 11 times that of historical rates to reach net zero by 2050, according to a Woodside-commissioned Deloitte report earlier this year<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ms Sanderson said she did not support the report’s findings as it was based on outdated data.<\/p>\n “Obviously the acceleration of the rollout of renewable energy, the momentum that we have, is significant,” she said.<\/p>\n Amber-Jade Sanderson says the aim is for WA to become a renewable energy powerhouse. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)<\/p>\n She said renewable energy generation in WA had jumped from 14 per cent to 40 per cent between 2017 and 2026 under the WA Labor government’s watch.\u00a0<\/p>\n Every jurisdiction except WA and the Northern Territory has its own interim targets to reduce emissions before 2050.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/b20d0b5963ccbb4b2f6146d2fb0ac9e7.jpeg\")
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