Perth-headquartered distributed energy developer Pacific Energy has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Karratha-based state-owned electricity company Horizon Power to supply, from 2027, up to 60% renewable energy to the town of Leonora in Western Australia’s (WAs) goldfields.
Located 828 kilometres northeast of Perth, the hybrid power system due to start construction in April 2026, will comprise 2.7 MW of diesel generation, a 2.4 MW solar farm, and a 9.9 MWh energy shifting battery energy storage system (BESS).
Pacific Energy Chief Executive Officer Mike Hall said achieving 60% renewable energy penetration in a remote town like Leonora demonstrates what’s possible when smart technology meets a strong commitment to decarbonisation.
“Leonora plays an important role in supporting the broader gold mining region, and this new power solution strengthens our footprint in the northeastern goldfields,” Hall said.
“It’s a smart, scalable system that reflects our long-term commitment to powering the communities and industries that drive Western Australia’s economy.”
The system, which is expected to be operational by the end of Q1 2027, will supply Leonora’s total town power supply and operate under a similar model to 10 systems Pacific Energy owns and operates for Horizon Power across WA’s regions.
Pacific Energy will the support the supply via its in-house, 24/7 remote operations centre to monitor reliability and prompt response times to any unscheduled outages.
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