Four wind farms collectively generating more than 1 gigawatt of electricity and a green steel project will be the first major projects to have the red carpet rolled out under the Cook government’s state development laws.
WA Premier Roger Cook will announce the first five projects deemed “state priorities” under the controversial State Development Act, which was rushed through parliament at the end of last year, at a Business News breakfast on Thursday morning.
Cook will also announce that the Western Trade Coast – which incorporates the Kwinana industrial area and Henderson marine precinct – will be declared a state development area under the laws.
The four wind farms deemed state priorities include the 470 megawatt Parron Maam Marang Farm near Jurien Bay, the 230 megawatt Kondinin wind farm, the 550 megawatt Marri wind farm in the Shire of Dandaragan, and the 200 megawatt Narrogin wind farm.
The NeoSmelt green iron pilot plant in the Kwinana industrial area, led by steelmaker BlueScope on behalf of a consortium including BHP, Rio Tinto, Woodside Energy and Mitsui Iron Ore, is the only metro non-wind farm project to gain priority project status.
Cook said he was putting the State Development Act powers to work.
“In designating the first five priority projects and state development area under these new powers, we are delivering on our vision of becoming a renewable energy powerhouse, making more things here and growing the largest naval maintenance and shipbuilding precinct in the southern hemisphere,” he said.
The act gives extraordinary powers to the premier and state development minister of the day, allowing them to single out projects they deem crucial for the state and roll out the red carpet for proponents.
Once a project is deemed a priority or an industrial zone is declared a special development area, it enlivens powers that help the government of the day streamline approvals through the Office of the Coordinator General.
At the heart of the controversy is a power called a “modification order”, which allows the state development minister of the day to alter aspects of approval processes ascribed in more than 40 pieces of legislation, including environmental approvals, to speed them up.
The Greens’ concerns revolved around the powers it centralised in the premier, state development minister and coordinator general roles, which they said lacked checks and balances and could be abused to ram through projects that were bad for the environment.
However, industry backed the laws, saying they would help reduce lengthy approval delays and improve investment attractiveness in the state.
The government spruiked the laws as crucial to it achieving its goal of getting out of coal-fired power by 2030 by fast-tracking renewable projects.
Energy and Decarbonisation; Manufacturing Minister Amber Jade Sanderson was buoyant that four of the first five priority projects were onshore wind farms.
“Together, these wind farms will unlock more than one gigawatt of renewable energy, helping us to get out of coal by 2030 and secure clean, affordable and reliable power for the future,” she said.
“This is a crucial step towards getting out of coal by 2030 and developing WA as a global renewable energy powerhouse.
“By fast-tracking these projects, we’re creating a stronger future for WA, diversifying the economy and creating great local jobs.”
The Cook government reconvened parliament in mid-December to pass the act, with Cook citing the need to have the laws in place as soon as possible so priority projects could be declared as soon as possible.
This announcement comes nearly three months after parliament returned from the Christmas break.
Since the bill passed, the state has been drafting the Coordinator General guidelines.
The government has also announced more than $90 million as part of the 2026-27 budget to boost industrial land across the state, including $45.2 million for land acquisition at the Latitude 32 estate in the western trade coast zone.
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Hamish Hastie is WAtoday’s state political reporter and the winner of five WA Media Awards, including the 2023 Beck Prize for best political journalism.Connect via X or email.
