Premier Mark McGowan and Energy Minister Bill Johnston were in Esperance today to officially open the Shark Lake Renewables Hub and mark the completion of the Esperance Power Project.
Horizon Power partnered with Pacific Energy to deliver the new integrated power system comprising of a 4 megawatt (MW) solar farm, two 4.5MW wind turbines, a 4MW battery energy storage system, and a 22MW high-efficiency gas power station.
This cleaner energy system, which is owned and operated by Pacific Energy, will feed into Horizon Power’s network and provide cleaner, greener power to Esperance.
Nearly 50 per cent of Esperance’s total electricity demand will now be met by renewable sources.
Horizon Power and Pacific Energy have designed a system that allows for the integration of new technologies over the life of the assets to ensure more renewable energy is added as it becomes available.
The new Esperance power system is projected to save the State Government $10 million annually and will contribute to the McGowan Government’s target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
“My Government is committed to investing in the solutions required to address climate change, and this project is a terrific example of how we are driving a prosperous low carbon future for WA.
“This project cuts Esperance’s electricity generation emissions by almost 50 per cent on the old system, with the power station designed to integrate even more renewables as they become available.
“This State Budget we boosted our Climate Action Fund by $500 million, to make a total of $1.2 billion, which will enable the delivery of even more initiatives to tackle climate change in WA.”
As stated by Energy Minister Bill Johnston:
“Esperance’s new, integrated power solution is delivering a cleaner, more efficient power supply to customers in the region.
“The state-of-the-art renewables hub is reducing carbon emissions by nearly 50 per cent when compared to the previous power system.
“The delivery of a new power solution for Esperance is in line with the McGowan Government’s Energy Transformation Strategy, which aims to deliver cleaner, greener energy to regional communities.”
