The Kondinin Wind and Solar Farm has received federal government approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
Lacour Energy director Mark Rayner said all state and federal approvals have been secured for the $250 million project, with construction expected to start late this year.
The plant will combine about 120MW of wind generation and 50MW of solar. Storage is also planned for the project.
Goldwind Australia will supply up to 46 turbines and manage the construction works.
“The Kondinin project location ticks all the boxes to be one of the lowest-cost projects in Western Australia,” Rayner said.
“There is a strong wind resource located on the Western Power network with plenty of ability to connect the project via an existing substation.”
Goldwind Australia managing director John Titchen said Goldwind is pleased to see that the Western Power network is now becoming more accessible.
“A number of new wind farms are expected to be built in Western Australia over coming years as a result of the progressive reforms of the Western Australian Government and the Western Power Interim Access solution currently being rolled out,” Titchen said.
The project, which is intended to include battery storage capability, has been developed as a hybrid project, meaning the grid connections costs can be shared between the wind and solar farm. The wind farm will predominantly produce energy during the night, making it complementary to daytime solar energy production.
Once operational, the project will power over 100,000 homes, supplying about 3% of electricity for the state.