Western Australia Backs Solar Project With Two-Hundred-Megawatt Battery Near Collie

• WA approved an up to 66-MW solar array with a 200-MW battery near Collie, aligning clean buildout with firming capacity.

Western Australia has signed off on a hybrid project that encapsulates the grid’s next chapter: a modest-sized solar array—up to 66 MW—paired with a hefty 200-MW battery near the coal town of Collie. The approval underscores how policy is pivoting from pure megawatts to dispatchable clean capacity that can absorb midday generation and power the early evening peak.

Technically, co-location keeps costs in check. Sharing an interconnection minimizes losses and eases permitting, while modern control systems will let the battery provide frequency response, synthetic inertia, and voltage support. In regions like WA’s South West Interconnected System—already feeling the effects of rooftop solar—longer-duration batteries are not optional extras; they’re the bridge between abundant daytime energy and evening demand.

The local context matters too. Collie has been a focal point for just transition planning as coal plants wind down. Hybrid projects that bring construction jobs and long-term operations roles help cushion the shift while making the grid cleaner and more resilient. Expect the delivery team to move quickly on long-lead items—transformers, grid-forming inverters, fire-suppression systems—so construction can align with substation works.

If execution stays on track, the Collie hybrid will add firm, flexible capacity right where the network needs it most—and provide a template for similar builds across the state’s renewable zones.