Plans to install up to 92 wind turbines and a large battery in Western Australia's Wheatbelt region have been referred for federal environmental assessment, less than one month after being put forward for state approval.

West Arthur Renewable Energy Project

Locally based developer Lacour Energy is seeking approval under the EPBC Act for its West Arthur Energy project, which proposes to develop, fund, construct, and operate an up to 736 megawatt (MW) wind farm located around 3 km south of Darkan and 40 km east of Collie.

The project would also include a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with a capacity of up to 500 MW and 4,000 megawatt-hours (MWh), along with access tracks, roads, substations, electrical reticulation, and transmission infrastructure.

Placement on the National Renewable Energy Priority List

The project, which would connect to WA's main grid, the South West Interconnected System (SWIS), is one of 12 recently added to federal Labor's National Renewable Energy Priority List, which promises a faster yes or no for projects considered valuable to the energy transition.

According to the project website, energy from the wind farm would flow via the Clean Energy Link, East to the Collie region and then into the wider Western Power network through the existing power lines that already run from the coal-fired power stations to all users in the southwest grid.

"The project is therefore strategically positioned to support the energy transition from coal-fired generation to renewable energy," the website states.

Site location and land characteristics

The EPBC referral documents say the project is proposed for construction on freehold tenure and Crown land within the Wheatbelt Region in the Shire of West Arthur, with all proposed infrastructure set to be on freehold land, except for underground cables and high-voltage transmission lines.

The land proposed for the project is described as a sparsely populated rural area, consisting predominantly of pastoral or grazing properties for livestock production. The vast majority of the land, 98 percent, has been previously cleared for agriculture.

Native title and Aboriginal representation

The proposed site is located within the Gnaala Karla Booja Native Title Claim Area (WI2015/005) and is represented by the GKB Aboriginal Corporation and the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC).

Threatened species assessments

One endangered bird species, the Carnaby's Cockatoo, has been recorded in the proposed project area, according to the documents. However, no nesting habitat and no known roosting habitat are present in the project area.

Lacour suggests its project should not be considered a controlled action, as it has been assessed as unlikely to have a significant impact on any matter of national environmental significance.

"Detailed assessments have been undertaken for the Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Carnaby's Cockatoo, Baudin's Cockatoo, Chuditch, and Red-tailed Phascogale, concluding that the proposed action would not result in impacts of a nature, magnitude, or extent that would meet the significant impact criteria," the documents say.

Impact avoidance measures

According to the referral documents, the proposed action has implemented impact avoidance and reduction through design and will continue to implement best practice measures to avoid and minimise impacts throughout all stages of the project's lifecycle.

This includes the adoption of a Construction Environment Management Plan. The project is open to public submissions until November 26.

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