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

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 8, 2025
The NSW Independent Planning Commission has granted planning approval for Potentia Energy's 500MW Tallawang solar-plus-storage project.
October 8, 2025
US solar module prices jumped in Q3 2025 as developers scrambled to meet the 2 September 2025 safe harbour deadline for Investment Tax Credit (ITC) qualification, according to supply chain platform Anza.
Premium
October 8, 2025
PV Talk: Smart Energy Council's Nigel Morris reflects on how Australia has become a global testbed for distributed solar and storage innovation.
October 8, 2025
Officials from Norway and Egypt have agreed provisional terms for the financing of the Dandara solar park in Egypt, which is being built and operated by Norwegian IPP Scatec.
October 8, 2025
University of Sydney scientists have created the largest and most efficient triple-junction perovskite-perovskite-silicon solar cell on record.
October 8, 2025
Saatvik Green Energy has secured new solar PV module orders worth more than INR7 billion (US$84 million), to be delivered in this financial year.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK