At the Energy Club WA’s September Industry Dinner, the panel discussion explored the complex realities of Western Australia’s energy transition. The conversation was grounded in a shared understanding that the path to net zero will require a balanced mix of molecules and electrons.
Jai Thomas, WA’s Energy Coordinator, captured the consensus that the future for WA is, “renewables firmed by storage and backed by gas.”
Dean Sharafi from AEMO reinforced this view, stating, “The ultimate backstop to a renewable future is gas.”
He explained the risks of relying solely on renewables in WA’s isolated grid.
“In 2023, we had four days of almost no wind, and in 2024, the same happened. This year, we have been lucky we didn’t have that, but we need to be careful because the WA power system is a system that is an island.”
Gary Bryant from APA shared a striking example of this risk from three days he spent over east.
“Of all of the wind farms on the east coast of Australia, of which there are thousands of megawatts installed, their combined output was 14 megawatts.”
This is a significant generation gap. Despite having the infrastructure to produce thousands of megawatts the system underdelivered due to low wind conditions.
“A failure to understand how you fill that gap in a way that leads to a similar quality of supply does place the system at substantial risk,” he added.
John Poynton of Strike Energy spoke to the commercial viability of gas peaking plants.
“We would think that that is something that will lead us to be able to deliver the lowest cost energy, or, if you like, electrons from gas,” he said.
The panel also addressed the infrastructure and investment challenges.
John Poynton from Strike Energy noted that, “What private enterprise needs is certainty. And it needs PPAs that are real, that create longer-term certainty that
means you can invest significant amounts of money and get a return for it for your shareholders.”
Sharafi highlighted WA’s unique position, “We have 3,100 megawatts of gas generation in the SWIS already. That’s there as a pretty solid starting point for the
gas needs that we have.”
He added, “Gas generation need will be there through the 2030s and into the 2040s, there’s no doubt about that.” Emphasising the demand required as we
transition our energy supply.
Sally Bogle from Rystad Energy offered a more cautious view, “We’re perhaps a little less bullish than Jai on the amount of replacement capacity that could come
into this market through to 2030.”
The panel agreed that while renewables are expanding, gas remains essential to ensure reliability, flexibility, and resilience in WA’s energy system.
“Gas will be an integral part of the renewable future,” Sharafi affirmed.
As the state moves toward a 2030 coal retirement target and beyond, the balance between renewables, storage, and gas will remain central to delivering reliable,
affordable, and sustainable energy.
Thank you to our industry dinner event sponsor: THB, Yokogawa, Pelican Technologies, Wilco Energy, Ningaloo Energy and our table sponsors Xodus.
You can find the event's photo gallery here.