The Australian state of Western Australia has announced an AUD342m (US$223m) investment in electricity transmission infrastructure to unlock about 1.4 GW of green energy. The local government has awarded contracts to UGL Engineering, Acciona, and GenusPlus to upgrade the northern section of the South West Interconnected System (SWIS), the electricity distribution network servicing WA from Geraldton to Albany and east to Kalgoorlie. The upgrades are expected to connect an extra 400 MW from existing wind projects, and an additional 1 GW of new renewable wind and solar generation.
The investment is part of a larger AUD584m (US$380m) budget dedicated to undertake network upgrades and expansion as part of the Clean Energy Link – North program, which includes HV transmission lines and equipment to unlock renewable power transmission in the regions north of Perth.
Australia targets an 82% share of renewables in the power mix in 2030.