The WA government has unveiled a comprehensive plan to modernise Western Australia’s main power network, with a focus on boosting local content, jobs, and industrial growth as part of the state’s clean energy transition.
The South West Interconnected System (SWIS) Transmission Plan will serve as the roadmap to upgrade WA’s electricity grid, providing the necessary infrastructure to power Strategic Industrial Areas (SIAs), expand renewable generation, and strengthen the state’s economy.
According to the government, the expanded network capacity will lay the groundwork to phase out coal generation, enable decarbonisation and electrification across industries, and foster new green industries that diversify WA’s economic base.
Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson, who launched the plan, also announced that formal Directions will be issued to the state’s major utilities — Western Power, Synergy, and Horizon Power — under the Government Trading Enterprises Act 2023.
The changes will drive stronger local content rules in procurement.
Tender processes will be required to actively give Western Australian businesses the opportunity to bid and succeed, creating long-term benefits in jobs and supply chain growth.
Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said: “The SWIS Transmission Plan is our blueprint for infrastructure upgrades that will support our energy transition and ensure WA becomes a renewable energy powerhouse.
“We’ve taken our long-term vision for the SWIS and mapped the transmission needed to deliver it.
“The plan facilitates the delivery of an energy transition that benefits all Western Australians, reimagining how the network can robustly support our state now, and well into the future.”
Sanderson said the plan would help deliver a decarbonised energy system that provides affordable, clean power to households and businesses across Western Australia.
She added that the WA government is also committed to supporting local manufacturing, with new Directions to be issued to Western Power, Synergy and Horizon Power to ensure WA companies and workers share in the opportunities created by the SWIS upgrade.
Sanderson said transmission infrastructure will be essential to enabling decarbonisation and building a stronger, more diverse and more resilient state economy.
The program will proceed in three key stages. Phase one will focus on upgrades across Kwinana’s SIA and the Western Trade Coast, the Coolangatta Industrial Estate, and the Kemerton SIA, providing a combined 1,500 megawatts to underpin industry expansion.
The Coolangatta development, in particular, will play a central role in supporting the Collie Just Transition.
In phase two, network upgrades will extend to Chittering, Moora, Collie, and areas throughout metropolitan Perth, while Phase three will see Western Power expand its grid connections to bolster the state’s push into green and advanced industries.
The WA government said the plan is more than an energy infrastructure expansion — it is a comprehensive framework designed to ensure WA remains competitive as global demand for clean energy accelerates.
By delivering stronger grid capacity and embedding local content requirements, the upgrades are intended to both secure the state’s energy future and deliver lasting community and economic benefits.
The SWIS Transmission Plan also integrates long-term planning with decarbonisation goals to align WA with the global energy transition.
By providing modern transmission networks, the strategy aims to stimulate private sector investment into new energy-intensive industries such as hydrogen, critical minerals processing, and advanced manufacturing, positioning the state as a renewable energy leader for decades to come.