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Afederal government listing of high priority renewable energy projects has 56 across the country with a notable aspect being the shortage of transmissions projects in WA’s South West.

The energy sector has become anxious about the lack of tangible progress on upgrading transmission infrastructure in the South West, which is a necessary precursor to getting new wind farms and solar farms into the grid.

There is just one transmission project in the southern half of WA.

That is Western Power’s $655 million North Region project, which involves an upgrade to existing transmission lines between Malaga and Three Springs.

The national list has four transmission projects in the Pilbara while also having five generation projects spread across WA.

The list has been created by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to provide coordinated support for regulatory planning and environmental approvals for priority projects.

To qualify for inclusion, projects have to be scheduled for completion by 31 December 2031.

Most have a long way to go – only seven of the 56 listed projects have received approval from the Commonwealth Environment Regulator.

The projects in WA include the giant Australian Renewable Energy Hub in the Pilbara, which has been in the planning phase for more than a decade.

It is majority owned by BP, which announced last month it would scale back its investment in renewables but would continue planning for some of its major WA projects.

The list also includes AREH’s Pilbara Green Link, also known as the Great Sandy Desert corridor.

It involves the development of two 330kV transmission lines and is designed to link existing industry in the Pilbara with new renewable energy sources, including AREH’s proposed wind farm and solar farm.

Pilbara Green Link is at an early stage, with the feasibility study slated to be completed in 2026.

Another group with two projects on the list is Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation, a joint venture between Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation and ACEN Renewables.

Its Baru-Marnda project in the Pilbara proposes up to 1 gigawatt of wind and solar energy.

YEC has also proposed the Chichester Range Corridor – high-voltage common-user transmission infrastructure linking its power station to the north-west grid via the Maitland industrial area near Karratha.

YEC chief executive Craig Ricato said the listing “underscores our commitment to sustainable energy development and the positive impact it has on our communities”.

YAC chief executive Michael Woodley said “this decision no doubt reinforces the advantage gained by partnering in a respectful way with Traditional Owners”. 

“As a community grounded in our Ngurra and culture, we have enabled YEC to progress its projects at a rate much faster than similar projects elsewhere in Australia,” Mr Woodley said.

ASX company APA Group has two WA projects on the list.

The Burrup (Murujuga) Corridor and East Pilbara (aka Hamersley Range) projects are common-user transmission corridors designed to link renewable energy generators and industrial customers.

The WA government selected APA Group in December last year to progress these proposals.

The only project in the south of WA is Neoen’s proposed 200-megawatt Narrogin wind farm.

The list has two projects in the Mid West – Zephyr Energy’s 490MW Parron wind farm and Tilt Renewables 108MW Waddi wind farm.

They are located in th same region as the Warradarge wind farm, which is part-owened by Synergy and in the early stages of an expansion. 

East coast projects on the list include the Moreton Hill wind farm in Victoria and the Spicers Creek wind farm in NSW.

Both are being developed by Squadron Energy, which is owned by Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s private company Tattarang.