- Cook Labor Government to establish a $1.4 billion Clean
Energy Fund
- Fund to support projects like Clean Energy Link - East,
which will be a declared priority project under the State Development Act
2025
- Designation and funding to support clean, reliable and
affordable energy in Western Australia's South West
- Supports the government's vision for WA's economy to remain
strongest in the nation
Households and businesses
in Western Australia's South West will have greater access to more clean,
affordable and reliable energy, with the Cook Labor Government to establish a
$1.4 billion Clean Energy Fund to support a slate of projects which will help
decarbonise the State.
The fund - to be detailed
as part of the 2026-27 State Budget - will support Clean Energy projects like
Clean Energy Link (CEL) - East, which will expand the South West Interconnected
System to bring more renewable energy to households and industry in Perth and
WA's South West.
CEL - North is currently
under construction and will improve access to renewables between Malaga and
Three Springs, with high-capacity transmission lines, terminals, substations,
and transformers installed on the network to unlock the flow of clean energy
from the Mid West.
CEL - East is the next
stage of expansion and will connect new wind and solar projects east of Collie,
delivering cleaner, more affordable and more reliable power for the future.
When complete, CEL - East
will deliver enough energy to power about 1 million homes.
In recognition of CEL - North
and East's significance to WA's economic diversification goals, the government
will soon move to declare both priority projects under the State Development
Act 2025, smoothing the way for its delivery by streamlining approvals,
improving whole‑of‑government co-ordination, and ensuring it is delivered on
time.
Additionally, Clean
Energy Link - Kwinana will also soon be declared a priority project under the
Act, delivering new terminals and transmission lines to support 900MW of new
energy demand in the Western Trade Coast.
Together, CEL - North and
CEL - East will deliver 3 gigawatts of renewable energy to commercial,
industrial and residential customers and will create about 800 local jobs
during the construction phase.
CEL - North is on track
for completion in late 2027, while CEL - East is expected to be online by the end
of 2029.
In addition, the 2026-27 State
Budget will include a further $7 million to support Horizon Power's work in
transitioning to renewable energy in regional WA, delivering increased
renewable future energy systems for the West Kimberley, Coral Bay, Hopetoun,
Denham and in the Pilbara.
Comments attributed to Premier Roger Cook:
"My government's vision
is to keep Western Australia's economy the strongest in the nation.
"This requires a secure
supply of clean, reliable and affordable energy for households and businesses,
which is what we will deliver with our $1.4 billion Clean Energy Fund and
declaration of Clean Energy Link - East as a priority project under the State
Development Act 2025.
"Together, these steps
will ensure our State is capable of supporting the population growth and
industrial development needed to remain the strongest economy in the nation."
Comments attributed to Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade
Sanderson:
"This critical project
will create hundreds of local jobs and allow us to capitalise on our State's
abundant wind and solar resources.
"Clean Energy Link - East
is a massive grid expansion for the State, which will deliver enough energy to
power around 1 million homes and support industry to access cheaper, cleaner
energy
"These projects are
directly supporting the WA economy, providing local jobs and upskilling
opportunities to our current and future workforce."
