Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, like other Australian states and high-income countries, is a heavy energy user by global standards. The most distinctive features of Western Australia's energy systems are the massive export of natural gas, its independence from the interconnected cross-state gas and electricity networks in eastern Australia, and the presence of two separate large-scale grids and many microgrids to provide power for the sparsely populated state.

Natural Gas

Western Australia is the source of over 60% of Australia's

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

, and over 80% of this production is exported as

liquified natural gas Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the volu ...

. The vast majority of production is from offshore wells off the north-western coast of the state. Domestic gas is piped to industry in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

and the major population centres in the south-west. There is, however, no pipeline connecting Western Australia's gas network to the eastern states of Australia. Western Australia has a domestic gas reservation policy that requires gas exporters to make 15% of export production available for domestic consumption. The policy is generally agreed to reduce Western Australia's domestic gas prices. However, it is unclear whether the policy is economically beneficial overall, with some modelling suggesting otherwise.

Electricity

Western Australia's size and remoteness have resulted in two completely separate large-scale energy grids in different parts of the state. Large parts of the state are too remote and sparsely populated to justify connection to the centralized grids.

History

The first demonstration of electric lighting in Western Australia took place in 1888, when

Government House, Perth Government House is the official residence of the governor of Western Australia, situated in the central business district of Perth, the state capital. It was built between 1859 and 1864, in the Jacobean Revival style. Government House is loca ...

was lit with electricity supplied by Western Australian Electric Light & Power Co. In 1894, the

Perth Gas Company Perth Gas Company was a gas producer in Perth, Western Australia. It had plant in East Perth that was constructed in 1886, and superseded by new operators and plant in 1922. The company conducted a range of improvements and modifications to its ...

began to install electric lighting in Perth. Private companies in several other municipalities supplied power for electric lighting and trams. In 1912, the Perth Gas Company was acquired by the

City of Perth A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

, and electrification of the city's street lighting was completed by 1923. In 1938, a Royal Commission was held to investigate the desirability of a centralised power grid for the southwest, supplied by a large coal-fired power station supplied by the

Collie Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Many ...

coal deposits. Reporting in 1940, the commission ultimately recommended against such a scheme. In 1943, the State Electricity Commission of Western Australia was formed, and took over the Perth Gas Company operations by 1946. Generation and transmission was gradually centralised and expanded over this period, including the establishment of coal-fired power stations supplied by the Collie coalfields, conversion of AC power to the national standard of 50Hz, high-voltage transmission lines, and eventually gas-fired power. In 1994, gas and electricity was separated with the establishment of

Western Power The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

Present day structure

In the south-west of Western Australia, including the

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

metropolitan area,

Western Power The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

, a state-owned corporation operates the

South West Interconnected System The South West Interconnected System (SWIS) is an electricity grid in the southwestern part of Western Australia. It extends to the coast in the south and west, to Kalbarri in the north and Kalgoorlie in the east. It is not connected to the ot ...

electricity grid. The SWIS is supplied by a combination of gas-fired, coal-fired, solar, wind, and tiny amounts of

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...

generation. Outside the SWIS, grid services are supplied by

Horizon Power Horizon Power is a commercially focused, state government-owned, power company that provides power supplies to Western Australia. It is responsible for generating, procuring, distributing and retailing electricity to residential, industrial and co ...

, another state-owned corporation. The

mining region is supplied by the North West Interconnected System. Privately owned mining companies are major participants in this electricity grid. The majority of generation on this grid is currently gas-fired. There is a third, small interconnected grid (including the Ord River Hydro Power Station) in the far north of the state, and 34 additional

microgrid A microgrid is a local electrical grid with defined electrical boundaries, acting as a single and controllable entity. It is able to operate in grid-connected and in island mode.

s operated by Horizon Energy supplying power to towns in the remoter parts of the state.

Oil

Western Australia produces nearly 80% of Australia's petroleum and LPG, as a relatively minor product from the offshore gas fields. However, Western Australia has no local

oil refineries An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquefie ...

, with the closure of BP's Kwinana refinery in 2021. The Kwinana refinery site now acts as a petroleum import terminal.

References

{{Reflist Energy in Western Australia