Posted on July 7, 2025
In short:
An onshore wind developer has warned its project may not be running by the time coal power stations close, due to a lack of transmission and a “marathon” approval process.
Wind around inland communities will be “critical” in helping keep the lights on when coal is wound back.
What’s next?
The WA government is standing firm on its commitment to phase out coal and says work is being done on infrastructure across the state.
A wind developer undergoing what it says is a “marathon” approval process says it may not be operational by the time Western Australia’s coal-fired power stations are switched off.
The WA government has set a 2030 deadline for the wind-down of coal-fired power generation, and has backed onshore wind as a key part of the state’s new electricity mix.
Projects planned for southern WA include wind farms around West Arthur, Narrogin, Williams, Boddington and Scott River.
However, many are yet to begin construction and a developer says the 2030 deadline may need to be extended to keep the lights on.
In Boddington, about 130 kilometres south of Perth, the companies behind the Marradong Wind Farm are yet to make a final investment decision.
The 45-turbine, 300-megawatt project is a collaboration between developers Wind with Purpose and Quenda Wind Power.
The latter is a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, which partially owns the struggling Bluewaters Power Station in Collie.
Developers say there’s not much “wiggle room” in plans for a 300-megawatt wind farm to come online by 2029.
Quenda business development head Daniel Kurz said meeting the state government’s 2030 “line in the sand” would be challenging.
“A development process for a wind farm is not a sprint, it’s definitely a marathon,”
Mr Kurz said.
Daniel Kurz says setting up a wind farm in WA is a “sprint not a marathon”.
Wind with Purpose chief executive Chris Kearney said while the project was currently on track to be operational by 2029, there was not much wiggle room.
“If we don’t hit our targets for getting this project online, and likewise if Western Power don’t have the infrastructure to connect these projects, then the reality is coal-fired power plants may have to stay online a few years longer than planned,” he said.
“We all want to electrify and decarbonise, but nobody wants blackouts.”
Chris Kearney says he expects coal will stay online longer if wind developers cannot get projects up in time.
Extra transmission needed
The Marradong Wind Farm would use existing power infrastructure in the area.
But 100km down the road, RES Australia’s wind farm — more than twice the size of the Marradong project with 110 turbines — would rely on transmission infrastructure being upgraded.
Once operational, the project in Dardadine, 197km south-east of Perth, would generate enough electricity to power up to 450,000 homes.
It is also yet to progress beyond the consultation and assessment stage.
Development director Greg Wilkinson said construction should start by 2028, with a view to being fully operational by the end of 2031.
But he said if the project went ahead and the power infrastructure was ready, he was willing to bring it forward.
“We’re working with Western Power and Powering WA to ensure that we can get this project up and powering WA homes as soon as we can,” Mr Wilkinson said.
Many of WA’s wind projects are still in the early stages.
The Clean Energy Council’s Chris O’Keefe said a lack of transmission lines was a sticking point for the industry.
“The WA government needs to build 250 kilometres of new transmission lines,” he said.
“[Otherwise] we might have a situation where we’re generating two or three gigawatts of onshore wind, yet there’s not enough transmission to get it to the places where it needs to get to.”
Wind farms on land will be a big part of WA’s energy mix into the future.
Government promises expansion
The Cook government’s latest budget included $584.3 million to be spent on network upgrades and the expansion of the Clean Energy Link.
It has also promised to set up transmission manufacturing hubs in Perth and the South West.
The WA government said it was not relying on a controversial, federally backed offshore wind project to be ready by 2030.
But Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said onshore wind would be “critical” heading into 2030.
“We do support a sensible mix of renewable energy and big battery storage … [and] we will still continue to need gas as a firming fuel as we exit coal,” she said.
Amber-Jade Sanderson says the state isn’t relying on wind off the coast to reach its 2030 transition target.
“We are confident we can meet the time frame for 2030 and maintain reliability and security of the energy system.”
Ms Sanderson said she would work with proponents on what was needed.
However, Mr O’Keefe said he was worried work was not happening quickly enough.
“They need to crack on with that if that 2030 target is to be met.”
