Kemerton License Changes Support Renewable Energy Transition

RATCH Australia Corporation (RAC) welcomed the Western Australia Government’s approval this week of the modification of the Kemerton Power Station (KPS) license and extending operations by 15-years to 2045.

KPS plays a crucial role in providing secure and reliable energy ‘black-start” supply to the Southwest Interconnected System (SWIS) power grid, RAC Chief Operations Officer James Lee said.

Kemerton’s licensed annual energy supply generation limit is 2,139 GW hours production over each 12 month period, with the permitted duration of operation extended from 2,000 to 13,800 hours per annum.

The approval of operating hours increase comes after a 12-month trial of a temporary license, consultation with stakeholders and a public exhibition which received no objections.

“There is no change to operations, the license change simply allows RAC to extend the duration of operations to provide more flexibility and stability to the energy grid and supply,” Mr Lee said.

“The increase to permissible hours of operation annually may not be fully used  each year, however, when it is we have in place more rigorous environmental management plans, with offsets for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.

“The increased duration of operations at KPS in the near term is to accommodate the decommissioning of coal-fired plants in Western Australia. It is intended to support the State’s transition to a clean energy future.

“Our management plans also anticipate a phased step-down in KPS’ operations over time as more renewable energy supply becomes available.

“RAC is focused on investing (both developing and operating) in clean and low carbon energy in WA to help achieve WA’s emission reduction targets,” Mr Lee said.