Construction has begun on two new transmission lines as part of Western Australia’s Clean Energy Link – North project, with Spanish infrastructure contractor Acciona delivering 11km of new underground cabling in the Perth metropolitan area.
A sod-turning event was held on 23 July 2026 to mark the start of works, which cover 6km of 132kV underground cabling between Padbury Substation, approximately 21km north of Perth, and Wangara Substation roughly 8km to the west, as well as a further 5km of 132kV transmission line linking the Northern Terminal in Malaga to Henley Brook Substation.
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The works are expected to take 12 months across three stages, with the first involving trenching and horizontal directional drilling to install underground conduit. Transmission line construction is expected to be completed by mid-2027.
The package forms part of the broader Clean Energy Link – North (CEL-North) programme, an AU$1.6 billion (US$1.12 billion) investment by the Western Australian state government in transmission infrastructure that aims to reinforce the northern section of the South West Interconnected System (SWIS), the electricity network serving much of south-west Western Australia, including Perth.
The transmission investment is aimed at resolving a bottleneck that has constrained the amount of renewable energy the Mid West can contribute to the SWIS.
The region hosts some of Western Australia’s best wind and solar resources, with numerous developers exploring generation projects in and around Three Springs.
Among those awaiting grid access is the Mid West Clean Energy Project, which aims to use renewable energy to support green hydrogen and green ammonia production at an industrial scale, targeting output of 1.2 million tonnes per annum of clean ammonia from 2027 for both domestic and international markets.
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said the project would help diversify the state’s economy.
“We are securing more affordable, reliable and locally made energy for the future through renewables backed by batteries and WA gas,” he said. “My government has already declared Clean Energy Link – North a priority project under the State Development Act, helping us deliver the transmission needed to bring online more job-creating projects in regional WA.”
Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the focus was on reliability and local employment.
“Our focus is simple: keep power reliable and affordable while creating local jobs. When complete, Clean Energy Link – North will power thousands of local homes, while capitalising on WA’s abundant wind and solar resources,” she said.
A programme years in the making
The transmission line works that began this week represent the first visible construction activity on a project that has been in development since at least early 2025.
In January 2025, power and communications infrastructure provider GenusPlus Group was awarded a contract worth around AU$270 million to design and construct two 330kV and 132kV terminal substations and associated lines as part of the CEL-North programme. That contract also covered augmentation of a third 330kV terminal substation, with scheduled completion targeted for mid-2027.
By July 2025, the state government had signed further contracts worth AU$342 million with GenusPlus, UGL Engineering and Acciona, lifting the total government investment in electricity transmission infrastructure to AU$1.6 billion.
Those contracts cover a 26.5km overhead 132kV transmission line from Wangara to Neerabup Terminal, new terminals and line conversions across the existing network, a new terminal at Three Springs, and upgrades around the Northern, Neerabup and Eneabba terminals.
The state government subsequently announced a AU$1.4 billion Clean Energy Fund as part of its 2026-27 State Budget, with a portion earmarked to support CEL-North alongside the planned Clean Energy Link – East programme.
Together, CEL-North and CEL-East are projected to deliver 3GW of renewable energy capacity to commercial, industrial and residential customers and create around 800 local jobs during construction. A further CEL-Kwinana project is also planned, targeting 900MW of new energy demand in the Western Trade Coast industrial zone.
