Cook fast-tracks wind farms and Kwinana industrial hubs to ‘turbocharge’ the WA economy

Premier Roger Cook has declared Kwinana the “centre of the universe” as he triggers new laws to fast-track a massive wave of renewable energy projects and overhaul the State’s industrial heartland.

In a move designed to turbocharge the economy, the Premier today designated four major onshore wind farms as “priority projects,” using the recently passed State Development Act to slice through layers of bureaucracy and what industry leaders describe as a “merry-go-round” of approvals.

Standing alongside Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson, Mr Cook said the State is moving into a new era of “all guns blazing” industrial development to ensure WA remains a global player in energy.

The four wind farms — Parron, Kondinin, Marri, and Narrogin — will deliver more than a gigawatt of renewable energy by 2029, a move the Premier says is vital as the State prepares to switch off its coal-fired power stations by 2030.

“Together, these projects will deliver more than a gigawatt of renewable energy into our grid by 2029 and it will also exceed our commitment... as part of our commitment to retire state owned coal fired power stations by 2030,” Mr Cook said.

Minister Sanderson said the ambitious goal of moving away from coal was one the government made “no apologies” for.

“Aging coal fire assets are expensive to run and increasingly unreliable,” she said.

“We are at a point in our energy system where we will have to replace all of those assets, and there are cheaper, cleaner alternatives... that is wind energy.”

Under the new powers, the Western Trade Coast — encompassing Kwinana, Rockingham, and Henderson — has been declared WA’s first State Development Area. The precinct contributes $20 billion annually to the economy and supports 43,000 jobs.

The declaration aims to unify the precinct under a single set of rules to lure multi-billion dollar “green steel” and defense projects, including the NeoSmelt pilot — a first-of-its-kind collaboration between giants BHP, Rio Tinto, Mitsui Iron Ore Development, Woodside and BlueScope.

“It will take place in Kwinana, which is, as you know, is the centre of the universe,” Mr Cook said. “What this does is make sure that everyone is working to a strategic goal and amongst a set of rules... towards a single outcome.”

The Premier noted that while previous governments had tried to streamline the area, his administration had finally achieved it.

“It’s important that we have all guns blazing, making sure that we can make every gate a winner when it comes to the Western Trade Coast,” he said.

Minister Sanderson said the priority designation would allow the government to manage the “complex logistics” of bringing in thousands of turbines through the State’s ports and onto regional roads.

“The Office of the Coordinator General will also play an important role in coordinating the supply chain and logistics for bringing in literally 1000s of turbines and towers through ports and roads,” she said.

“We’re managing the risk of delay by designating them a priority project.”

Kwinana Industries Council chief executive officer David Harrison backed the “sharp” new approach but warned that the government must now back its words with infrastructure.

“If you want land, you go to one department. If you want power, you go to another. If you want approvals, you go to another. It’s a merry-go-round of approvals. We need to fast track that,” Mr Harrison said.

“There is pent up demand already in the Western Trade Coast. We don’t have enough land, we don’t have enough power, we don’t have enough infrastructure to deliver what we have already, let alone the future industries that are coming in.”

The Premier made it clear that “certainty and confidence” for investors was now the top priority for WA’s industrial future.