Goldfields Regional Network: FAQ

PoweringWA will act as both a coordinator and facilitator between local Aboriginal people, industry, community and Government. PoweringWA will undertake early project scoping, identifying potential cost-efficient options, and will work with industry on determining the most appropriate market and regulatory design features for the GRN. 

PoweringWA will not build, operate or own the GRN, as the intent is for a privately-led solution. The intent is for the State Government to play a supporting role with an emphasis on the facilitation of any approvals required from State Government agencies and through facilitation of community engagement, including with Aboriginal people.

PoweringWA and Energy Policy WA will also play a role in designing and implementing appropriate regulatory and market arrangements. 

While the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) Transmission Infrastructure Update indicates a line in the general direction between Kalgoorlie and Leinster, this is not definitive. The exact configuration of the transmission infrastructure layout will be developed in consultation with local Aboriginal people, industry, and communities to determine a solution that satisfies the objectives of a broad range of stakeholders. 

The intent at this point is to connect the GRN to the SWIS. 

However, Stage 1 modelling will consider options both with and without connection. If modelling shows that connection is not the best path forward, then a standalone GRN may be considered. It may also be the case that the GRN is built in stages, and it starts out as a stand-alone project and is connected to the SWIS at a later date. 

Stage 1 of the Goldfields Regional Network project is a Concept Study, which is due to be completed by the end of November 2024. Should this indicate that the GRN is viable, a commercial assessment will commence in December 2024. Consideration of regulatory and market changes and the design of a tender process will be conducted in 2025. Following this, a proponent or proponents will be identified to construct the GRN.

Regulatory and market arrangement options that could apply to the GRN will be identified and assessed during Stage 3 of the Project. This will require consultation with various key stakeholders and will consider the various regulatory and market arrangements currently in place in WA.

The location of potential transmission routes has not yet been determined. At present, the Network is still in the concept stage. 

The next step will be to assess the commercial viability of the project, and then to consider elements such as markets and regulations. Any discussion around line routes is likely to be undertaken much later in the Project pipeline, and those discussions will occur in consultation with local Aboriginal people, community and industry.

In March 2024, Western Power commenced a Non-Co-optimised Essential System Services procurement process for Reliability and System Strength Services for the Eastern Goldfields. This process will allow for a range of generation, storage and other technologies to provide reliability services to the region, and a first expression of interest process has already been undertaken. These services could commence from 1 October 2026 and will complement the existing Synergy-owned West Kalgoorlie power station, which currently provides back-up power supply in the Eastern Goldfields.

The Goldfields Regional Network is a longer-term solution. It would improve the interconnectedness of the energy system in the Goldfields, allowing loads and capacity to connect to common-use infrastructure and improving reliability in Kalgoorlie and the broader region. The Network would also have access to high-quality wind resources in the Goldfields, which have a low correlation with wind resources elsewhere in the South West Interconnected System.

We will engage early and often with local Aboriginal communities to ensure that their views are heard and meaningfully inform the potential GRN solution.

This engagement will likely include creation of a dedicated Aboriginal working group, as well as direct one-on-one engagement, depending on the requirements of Aboriginal groups. 

Only high-level preliminary decisions have been made so far.

It has been determined that a network is worth investigating, and that a transmission corridor between the Kalgoorlie and Leinster areas is worth exploring. 

Discussions around definitive routes have not yet taken place and will not be examined until later in the process. These discussions will not take place until an initial assessment has demonstrated that the project is commercially viable. 
 

Many of the large industrial users in the Goldfields region currently operate stand-alone energy systems, disconnected from the grid. Even where these operators utilise some degree of renewable energy, there is a significant need for gas and diesel as back-up reserves. This is both emissions intensive and expensive.

The GRN would act as a shared asset for operators, helping industry to decarbonise by reducing their reliance on gas and diesel generation to provide security of supply. The network would connect operators to renewable generation, better supporting their energy needs. Some reserve capacity may still be required, but this should be a lower requirement for a networked arrangement.

Energy that feeds into the GRN would also provide benefits to the SWIS if the two networks are connected. The wind profile in the Goldfields region is not strongly correlated with the wind profile of other generation hotspots on the SWIS. Connecting this new capacity would reduce the need for the SWIS to rely on other forms of energy when there is low wind output at existing wind sites.