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Registrations of interest

Industry will play a critical role in establishing the once-in a generation transmission network growth required to enable industrial decarbonisation, service renewable generation and support State and regional economic growth as WA moves towards achieving net zero.

Following the release of the SWIS Demand Assessment, the State Government is now seeking registrations of interest (ROI) from large commercial and industrial users (generators and loads) to inform how and when future major transmission build will be undertaken, including potential renewable energy hubs locations, to connect more renewables to the grid.  

Coordinated by Energy Policy WA and Western Power, the ROI aims to:

  • Establish the customer base that will shape future major transmission expansion projects and prioritise areas for grid investment in this first stage of investment.
  • Gain valuable insight to enable policy setting for suitable funding arrangements.

The State Government is seeking serious interest from large commercial and industrial users regarding their plans for increasing demand for low-emissions electricity and related renewable energy project builds to supply major projects in the South West Interconnected System (SWIS).

Industry customers must have scope to contribute to network augmentation in addition to their connection costs. As a guide the quantum of contribution sought is circa $100,000/MW. These costs could be reviewed post the ROI.

Registration requirements set out below include funding options that the customer would be willing to commit to. This process could help inform and shape new funding mechanisms for accessing network capacity and will form the basis for potential new policy settings.

Registration requirements

This is a bespoke registration process with defined conditions to ensure the best outcome for the customer, the community, and the State.

Businesses must meet the following criteria:

  • Their proposed project will be commissioned prior to 2030.
  • Ability to commit to network augmentation costs around $100,000/MW prior to 2026/27.
  • Ability to fund your own local connection works.
  • Otherwise: show on the scale below the potential range of costs ($1,000’s) per megawatt you would be willing to commit to:
    • 80-90; 90-100; 100-110; and 110-120.
  • Capability and capacity to deliver the project. The applicant should outline:
    • demonstrated level of experience and expertise and provide examples of successfully delivered renewable energy project(s)/loads or industry development(s) of a similar nature, scale or value in Australia or internationally; and
    • any other information of relevance i.e. committed access to land.
  • Financial viability and funding commitment to deliver the project. The applicant should outline:
    • whether the applicant has the financial capacity and appropriate levels of funding commitment to deliver the project successfully; and
    • any other information of relevance.

Submission to the ROI process with information that is outside of these parameters (i.e. a business with electrification plans targeting new supply in 2032 or a generator with an additional stage in a project looking for commissioning in 2031) will also be considered.

This process will shape new arrangements for accessing network capacity and could help inform amendments to the relevant policy settings, such as the Applications and Queuing Policy and the Contributions Policy, to provide further efficiencies to connecting applicants. It is therefore important that proponents respond to support this work.

Proposed changes to the ‘first in first served’ approach to the progressing of connection applications is currently under review. The aim of this review is to enable grid connection projects that support the State’s decarbonisation commitments to progress ahead of dormant connection applications.

Submission to the ROI does not guarantee supply or an ability to access the network in a specific location.

ROI submissions are now closed.