Powering up Western Australia

Our third National Action Plan insights paper, Powering Up Western Australia, sets out what;s needed for industry, government, and community in Kwinana and Port Hedland need to capitalise on Western Australia’s world-class resources and industrial base, and make a smooth transition to clean energy.

September 2026

Powering up Western Australia

Six decades ago, Western Australia built the world's largest iron ore industry. Now it has the opportunity to build on that legacy, establishing a future-proof industry in green metals, critical minerals and clean technology manufacturing, backed by renewable energy generation and storage. Western Australian regions are where this opportunity will be won or lost. With skilled workforces, and established infrastructure, these regions are critical to decarbonising existing industries.

What happens in Kwinana and Port Hedland over the next decade will shape whether Western Australia leads or lags in the clean industrial transition. Powering Up Western Australia analyses both regions against the National Action Plan framework, measuring indicators across four themes, industry decarbonisation, enabling infrastructure, social licence, and policy and governance. The results show clear gaps between ambition and delivery. Download the full report for the detailed regional breakdown.

What happens in Kwinana and Port Hedland over the next decade will shape whether Western Australia leads or lags in the clean industrial transition. Powering Up Western Australia analyses both regions against the National Action Plan framework, measuring indicators across four themes, industry decarbonisation, enabling infrastructure, social licence, and policy and governance. The results show clear gaps between ambition and delivery. Download the full report for the detailed regional breakdown.

Download the report

Key Findings Include:

40.5 Gigawatt of renewable generation and 125 gigawatt-hour of storage are needed by 2035.

Shared infrastructure is falling well short of what’s needed. Only 8% of South West Interconnected System generation and 11% of required storage has reached construction. For the North West Interconnected System, it's just 9% and 2% respectively.

$15.7 billion of annual output is at risk in Kwinana alone.

Without proper coordination and support, existing operations and the jobs and output they support will stall.

Existing industry is being left behind by emerging industry.

Whilst the government is backing in emerging clean industries, established operators are largely left to fend for themselves.

Community support is inconsistent because there is no mandatory benefit-sharing.

Lack of mandatory rules for engaging communities or sharing benefits from energy projects has led to patchy and uneven practices across Kwinana and Port Hedland.

Industry leaders support this research

Set clear emission reduction targets at both state and federal government levels.

Western Australia is the only Australian state without climate or renewable energy targets. Clear targets would align stakeholders on investing and planning, giving industry the confidence to decarbonise at the pace needed to match coal closures.

Give existing industries the same support and attention as emerging ones.

Emerging clean industries enjoy strong government support, but existing industry decarbonisation remains limited to market leaders. Without the same regulatory support and guardrails, major projects miss opportunities.

Improve community engagement and ensure benefits are shared, to build stronger community support.

WA currently has no mandatory requirements for community engagement or benefit sharing on energy projects. As such, practices remain inconsistent across the state.

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