• Stage One gas-fired power station and associated infrastructure complete
• Stage Two will deliver large and small-scale solar and battery storage
• Onslow microgrid to demonstrate cutting edge alternative energy solution

Energy Minister Ben Wyatt was in Onslow today to view the completed gas-fired power station and associated infrastructure built as Stage One of the Onslow Power Project.

The new gas-fired power station will be supplied gas via a dedicated pipeline connected to the Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline. In a significant milestone for Onslow, the power station will be supplying electricity to Onslow customers from July 14.

The McGowan Labor Government granted approval for Stage Two of the project in May of this year, which will include both a bulk, centralised 1 megawatt solar farm and 1 MW/1 MWh energy storage system, as well as smaller distributed rooftop solar PV and battery storage systems throughout the Onslow community. The entire project is targeting 50 per cent of Onslow's electricity needs to be delivered through renewable energy.

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.

This project is an important part of the McGowan Labor Government's commitment to providing safe and reliable electricity at the lowest cost, while also meeting our obligations under the Federal Government's Renewable Energy Target.

The project will demonstrate Horizon Power's ability to manage higher levels of renewable energy penetration on their microgrids – a challenge that utilities around the world are currently grappling with.