The Western Australia coal town of Collie is on track to host a third big battery after the state’s Regional Joint Development Assessment Panel (DAP) approved plans for a 200 MW battery energy storage system and up to 66 MW solar farm to be constructed on farmland about 14 kilometres northeast of the town.
The project, that is being developed by Hesperia subsidiary Enpowered, was given the go-ahead by the DAP after being recommended for approval by the Shire of Collie last month.
The panel said it acknowledged concerns raised by adjoining landowners, specifically that the solar and battery project will change the character of the site but added the applicant had provided “strong justification” for why developments like these are best suited for rural zones, including availability of large tracts of land, access to sunlight, the ability to co-locate with agricultural uses and preservation of industrial land for more intense industrial purposes.
The DAP said the “much-needed” solar and battery project aligns with all relevant underlying local and state strategic planning frameworks and will “largely operate in harmony with its rural setting and to be respectful to its existing neighbours.”
The project is being developed on a 247-hectare site about 14 kilometres northeast of Collie, about 190 kilometres southeast of state capital Perth.
Perth-headquartered Enpowered said the project aims to generate and store electricity for supply into the South-West Interconnected System (SWIS) and will connect to the grid via a 330 kV underground transmission line linking to the Palmer Terminal operated by Western Power.
The proposed solar and battery project is expected to commence operations in 2028.
It is the third large-scale battery energy storage system being developed near Collie.
French renewables developer Neoen is putting the final touches on a 560 MW / 2,240 MWh capacity battery energy storage system and Western Australian government-owned utility Synergy is building a 500 MW / 2,000 MWh battery in the same region.
The projects are part of the state government’s plan to transition Collie from a coal-dependent economy to a future driven by renewable energy.
The region has been helping power Western Australia with its two coal mines since the 1880s but the state has committed to exit coal-fired power by the end of the decade. The decision will see the 340 MW Collie plant retired in October 2027 and the nearby 854 MW Muja plant shuttered by October 2029.
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