Indigenous-led hybrid solar-wind plant in Western Australia submitted to EPBC Act

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The hybrid power plant will be developed in the mineral-rich Pilbara region of Western Australia. Image: YEC.

Indigenous-led renewable energy company Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation (YEC) has submitted plans for a hybrid wind and solar PV renewable energy project to the Australian government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.

The proposed Baru-Marnda Renewable Energy Project in Western Australia combines 1,000MW of wind generation with a 500MWac solar PV power plant, with the optional addition of an undisclosed-sized battery energy storage system (BESS).

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The project would be situated 50km south of Karratha, a city in the mineral-rich Pilbara region of Western Australia. The city is dubbed the “heart of the West Pilbara Coast” and is a key hub for Western Australia’s iron ore and gas industries.

According to the EPBC Act application, the renewables hub would connect to the North West Interconnected System (NWIS), one of Western Australia’s isolated grids, primarily serving the Pilbara mining region.

Earlier this week, Western Australia’s energy provider, Horizon Power, proposed a solar-plus-storage project with a 21MW solar PV power plant for the NWIS.

Solar infrastructure and construction timeline

The YEC plans to install up to 500MWac of solar energy infrastructure as part of the Baru-Marnda Renewable Energy Project. Six potential areas for solar arrays have been identified, with four of them set to be included in the final design.

Construction of the Baru-Marnda Renewable Energy Project is expected to begin in 2028, subject to acquiring the necessary approvals. It will be carried out in stages over the next three to six years, with different infrastructure components becoming operational both during and after the construction period.

The Indigenous-led renewable energy company is developing several solar PV power plants in Western Australia. PV Tech reported last year that the organisation received approval for its 150MW Jinbi solar PV plant in the Pilbara region.

The Jinbi solar plant became the first project to be approved via the Western Australia government’s ‘Green Energy Approvals Initiative’. It will be located within a 13,000-square-kilometre area in the Pilbara covered by the Yindjibarndi Native Title Determination Area.

According to YEC’s project plans, the Jinbi project also has the option to develop a co-located BESS, further enhancing solar energy capabilities in Western Australia.

Read Next

September 5, 2025
Scientists from Germany and Saudi Arabia have discovered that perovskite thin-film cells are compatible with current industry standard silicon solar cells, which they claim is a “crucial step toward the industrialisation of perovskite silicon tandem solar cells”.
September 5, 2025
During a week of major US clean energy developments, ContourGlobal, PSE, Arevon, and Ameren Missouri advanced solar projects across four states in the US.
September 5, 2025
Newly formed firm Solaris Assets has acquired the business operations and assets of Texas-based residential solar installer Sunnova.
September 5, 2025
Research firm Rystad Energy has found that Queensland’s utility-scale solar PV power plants have dominated the best-performing assets, in terms of AC capacity factor, rankings for August 2025.
September 4, 2025
India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, the joint forum of the Centre and States, has reduced the GST rate on renewable energy components from 12% to 5%. 
September 4, 2025
The Czech national cybersecurity agency has warned that Chinese solar inverters represent a threat to the country’s data security.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines