Stage one of Onslow microgrid project complete

High-voltage powerlines against beautiful orange sky (ergon energex)

Construction of a gas-fired power station has been completed in Onslow, Western Australia.

The power station has been built as stage one of Horizon Power’s Onslow Power Project and will be supplying electricity from July 14.

It will be supplied gas via a dedicated pipeline connected to the Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline.

The WA Government granted approval for stage two of the project in May, which will include both a 1MW solar farm and 1MW/1MWh energy storage system, as well as smaller distributed rooftop solar PV and battery storage systems throughout Onslow.

Energy Minister Ben Wyatt said the entire project is targeting 50 per cent of Onslow’s electricity needs to be delivered through renewable energy.

“This microgrid project will ultimately consist of the power station we’re looking at today, coupled with a range of distributed solar and battery storage systems, to maximise the amount of renewable energy available to the community of Onslow,” Mr Wyatt said.

“This government is committed to a renewable energy future for this state, with the challenge being to safely and efficiently integrate renewables into new and existing electricity networks.

“The work being done by Horizon Power here in Onslow is helping us prepare for this future by enabling integration of more renewable energy, and developing a better understanding of how the network impacts can be safely managed for the benefit of both customers and utilities.”

Under its State Development Agreement, the Chevron-operated Wheatstone Project has provided a substantial financial contribution for Horizon Power to build the power infrastructure for both project stages.

Completion of the solar farm and battery storage is expected in the first half of 2019.

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