Clean Energy Link–north project
585. Hon Dr Steve Thomas to the Leader of the House representing the Minister for Energy and Decarbonisation:
I refer to the government's 2025 budget announcement of $542 million to be spent in 2025–56—that should say 2025–26—on the Clean Energy Link–north project "and to undertake other early investigative works" for other projects.
(1) What is the total projected cost for the Clean Energy Link–north project to completion and when is it due to be completed?
(2) What currently proposed wind generation projects will or may be connected to the Clean Energy Link–north project to meet the budget's stated goal of allowing "new wind capacity to connect in the Wheatbelt and Mid West" and please list them with their proposed generation capacity in each case?
(3) What other new transmission lines does the government propose to build to allow new wind capacity in other areas of the state presumably as a part of its "early investigative works"?
Hon Stephen Dawson replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. I understand the answer has been provided as if it was 2025–26, but just in case it is not, we will get back to the member tomorrow.
(1) Total committed funding for Clean Energy Link–north (CEL–N), including the expansion of the Regans Ford Terminal, is $1.2 billion. Completion is scheduled for December 2027.
(2) There is over four gigawatts of wind generation projects at various stages of development, some of which have public websites while others remain commercial-in-confidence, in the area covered by the CEL–N project. This pipeline includes several publicly stated projects. I table the attached document.
(3) Western Power continues to undertake planning and scoping for the Clean Energy Link transmission projects as outlined in the SWIS Transmission Planning Update, published in May 2024. A SWIS transmission plan, which will provide more detail on the sequencing of these projects, is currently under development and due for release later this year.
