Question On Notice No. 528 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 10 May 2022 by Mr P.J. Rundle
Question Directed to the: Minister for Energy
Parliament: 41 Session: 1
Question
I refer to your response to Question Without Notice No. 444, asked by the Member for Warren Blackwood on 18 August 2021 regarding the electricity supply in Walpole, and I ask:
(a) Did you announce that Western Power would support the hydro-electric energy project as a new technical solution for Walpole;
(b) Did you refer to this project as part of your government's action to combat climate change;
(c) Why is this project not going ahead; and
(d) What are you doing for the community of Walpole to reduce the amount of power outages they are experiencing?
Answered on 14 June 2022
(a) The Walpole pumped hydroelectric microgrid project was announced on 21 April 2022. Western Power hosted a community information session together with Power Research and Development, the company behind this project, and the Member for Warren-Blackwood Jane Kelsbie.
The event was very well attended by Walpole residents eager to learn more about this innovative project.
(b) The Western Australian Climate Policy includes a number of programs and initiatives including the Clean Energy Future Fund.
The Clean Energy Future Fund was launched in April 2020 and supports the implementation of innovative clean energy projects in Western Australia which offer high public value through contributing to one or more of the following outcomes:
· significant, cost-effective reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below projected (or baseline) emissions as a direct result of the clean energy project
· design, deployment, testing or demonstration of innovative clean energy projects likely to deliver community benefits or lead to broad adoption and significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
The fund is focused on projects where our funding can secure tangible emissions reductions, and applications with a strong potential for wider adoption.
Power Research and Development's pumped hydroelectric microgrid project was awarded $2 million as part of the McGowan Government's Clean Energy Future Fund.
(c) The project is underway and is expected to be fully operational in the second half of 2023.
(d) The pumped hydroelectric microgrid solution will mitigate up to 80 per cent of outages.
The 1.5 megawatt pumped hydro facility will use two farm dams to store 30 megawatt hours of energy. It will work by pumping water uphill from one dam to another when renewables are abundant, and energy is cheap.
During periods of high demand, the water is released downhill through a generator to produce electricity. In the event of an outage, it will also supply power to the town.