Western Australia EPA sets environmental criteria for 70GW solar-plus-wind mega-project

November 26, 2024
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The generation capacity of the project has been increased from 50GW to 70GW. Image: Carnegie.
Image: Carnegie.

Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has set the environmental criteria for the Western Green Energy Hub (WGEH), a 70GW solar and wind mega-project.

The AU$100 billion (US$65 billion) project is being pursued by project developers WGEH. The developer inked a collaboration agreement in September with Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and submitted the project to the EPA earlier this month.

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

Due to the project’s vastness, incorporating shipping and port infrastructure alongside the 15,000 square kilometres the hub will span, several environmental criteria must be adhered to. You can find the full details here.

The EPA statement read: “Several preliminary key environmental factors are complex. Detailed assessment is required to determine the extent of the proposal’s direct and indirect impacts, and whether the EPA environmental factor objectives can be met.”

The WGEH project was previously slated to have a generating capacity of 50GW; however, referral documents indicate that this has increased to 70GW. This will be supported by around 3,000 wind turbines and up to 35 solar PV power plants located across the proposed site.

The hub would be built in phases to produce up to 3.5 million tonnes of green hydrogen per year, which would be provided domestically and internationally.

Stage One of the project is expected to generate around 6GW of wind and solar PV power, alongside 330,000 tonnes per annum of green hydrogen production via centrally-sited electrolysers.

Alongside the renewable energy generation and hydrogen production, the site also includes plans to house data centres in the vicinity, leveraging the large-scale renewable energy generation that could be sourced from the site.

A consortium including Singaporean-based InterContinental Energy and renewable energy developer CWP Global first proposed the mega-project. These companies are also behind the 26GW Asian Renewable Energy Hub, which Australia’s federal government rejected in 2021 due to its environmental impacts.

Read Next

October 29, 2025
French firms TotalEnergies and EDF, with local partners, secured contracts for 400MW and 600MW solar projects in Saudi Arabia, supporting Vision 2030 renewable goals.
October 28, 2025
GreenYellow plans to invest US$116 million in Poland over the next three years to expand its installed capacity and customer base.
October 28, 2025
GoldenPeaks Capital secures EUR114 million (US$132 million) financing package for two solar PV Portfolio in Poland.
October 28, 2025
Chinese solar inverter producer GoodWe has launched a new “low noise, low weight” string inverter for the European corporate & industrial solar market.
October 28, 2025
Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) Australia has announced the development of a 210MWdc solar project in New Zealand's Rangitikei District.
October 27, 2025
Chinese engineering firm Shanghai Electric has signed an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract with independent power producer (IPP) Econergy to build a 342MW solar PV plant in Romania.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Webinars
November 12, 2025
10am PST / 1pm EST
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 10, 2026
Frankfurt, Germany