South West Interconnected System
Western Australia is special in many ways, from our abundant biodiversity and ancient landscapes to our unparalleled lifestyles. It only makes sense that our main electricity system - the South West Interconnected System, or SWIS - is also unique.
Stretching from Kalbarri in the north to Albany in the south and Kalgoorlie in the east, the SWIS is one of the most isolated large electricity grids in the world. It’s an energy island separated from the national Australian electricity grid by over 1,000 kilometres of desert.
0.0 Million
Customers, including households, hospitals, businesses, schools and major industry
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Of WA’s population lives within the SWIS footprint
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Renewable generation capacity on the SWIS
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Renewable energy in 2025
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Information is indicative only
SWIS Transmission Upgrades
- Planning and scoping
- Under construction
Energy type
- Wind
- Battery
- Solar
- Hydro
Retiring coal
We are retiring the remaining State-owned coal power plants on the SWIS as part of our push to cut our State’s emissions. This is an important part of our work to decarbonise our State - but it is also driven by the economic realities of operating these ageing plants.
Rooftop solar has changed our supply and demand patterns and lowered daytime wholesale prices, which is changing coal’s role on the system. At the same time, coal prices are rising, making coal-fired power plants more expensive to run.
This means coal is no longer fit for purpose for WA. So, we are replacing coal with new wind and solar farms supported by energy storage and gas, keeping energy affordable and reliable while we decarbonise.
Future-ready transmission
New renewable or battery projects can’t connect to the SWIS without transmission. And we can’t power new industries without upgraded transmission links either. This means that expanding and upgrading the transmission network is essential for a cleaner energy mix on the SWIS and a stronger WA economy.
The State Government’s SWIS Transmission Plan builds on the $1.6 billion invested in the network over the past several years, outlining the new Clean Energy Link transmission projects that we need to retire coal and deliver the energy transition on the SWIS.
Strategic Industrial Areas
WA is becoming a global leader in the clean energy transition. By investing in emerging industries like critical mineral processing and green steel, we are building a more diverse and resilient economy for our State. Strategic Industrial Areas like the Western Trade Coast are vital hubs for this economic growth.
With six of these areas in the SWIS, providing them with affordable, low emissions energy is a priority. This won’t just cut emissions – it will help create the new jobs and investment that will drive a stronger WA economy
A Smarter Energy System
Distributed Energy Resources (DER) are smaller-scale energy devices that use, generate or store electricity – for example, electric vehicles, rooftop solar and home batteries.
WA is a world leader in the take-up and integration of DER. The SWIS has some of the highest levels of DER in Australia and is a global leader in rooftop solar penetration on the grid. Today, around 41% of homes on the system have rooftop solar installed - and we expect this to rise to 50% by 2030.
This rooftop solar underpins over 2.5 Gigawatts of distributed solar generation across the broader system. That's more than three times the generation capacity of the remaining State-owned coal power plants in Collie.
To fully harness the massive potential of DER in WA, the State Government has taken a staged, place-based approach to DER integration, guided by the DER Roadmap.
