Frontier Energy has secured agreements for equity to cover a third of the cost of the largest solar-battery hybrid project in Western Australia, consisting of a 132 MW solar plant and an 81.5 MW battery storage system. The company has received firm commitments for $110 million in new equity and is working towards securing additional funding. The Waroona project is expected to generate revenue from reserve capacity contracts, energy sales, and other services, with a focus on selling excess output from the battery and solar farm. Additionally, the company is planning to expand the renewable energy facility to potentially reach 1,000 MW and 660 MW of battery capacity, aiming to create a major renewable energy precinct in the South West of WA to contribute to clean energy solutions and reduce carbon emissions in the area.
Tag: South West
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State locks in six renewable energy zones after final round of nips, tucks and rethinks
Victoria has declared five onshore renewable energy zones and one shoreline zone to increase its share of battery-backed wind and solar energy to 65% by 2030 and 95% by 2035. The final design includes zones in South West, Central Highlands, Gippsland, Western, and North West, with the Central North zone still under consideration. Changes were made to the South West and Central Highlands zones based on environmental concerns and land availability. The Gippsland region will host both onshore and shoreline renewable energy zones, with the latter connecting offshore wind farms to the grid. The government considered feedback but not all requests were implemented. The zones aim to balance community concerns with developer interests, utilize strong wind and solar resources near existing transmission lines, exclude areas of high biodiversity value, facilitate the transition away from coal-fired power stations, and ensure better coordination of renewable energy projects. VicGrid is also working on developing guidelines for the next Victorian Transmission Plan to meet the state's transmission and renewable energy generation needs.