The Onslow microgrid project in WA has progressed to the next stage after the gas-fired power station and associated infrastructure was completed recently.
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 mid-July 2018.
The Western Australian State Government granted approval for Stage Two of the project in May, which will include both a bulk, centralised 1MW solar farm and 1 MW/1MWh energy storage system, as well as smaller distributed rooftop solar PV and battery storage systems throughout the Onslow community. The 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.
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.
