❓ The WA government is questioned on the specifics of its $1.4 billion Clean Energy Fund, particularly regarding the Clean Energy Link (CEL) projects, their funding, capacity replacement for retiring coal, and accelerated construction timelines.
AnsweredQoN 2288Legislative Assembly
Asked
5 May 2026
Member
Portfolio
Energy and Decarbonisation; Manufacturing; Skills and TAFE; Pilbara
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Government's April 2026 announcement of a $1.4 billion Clean Energy Fund and ask:(a) How much has the Government invested to date to reach the current stage of CEL North and how much more is estimated to be required by 2027;(b) Of the $1.4 billion in this CEF announcement, how much will be allocated specifically to the CEL East project;(c) Noting that coal accounted for 29% of SWIS energy in 2024 and provided what the September 2025 Transmission Plan labelled 'consistent and firm generation', assuming the Government retires all state-owned coal by 2030, and CEL North and East only deliver 3 gigawatts of intermittent renewable energy, what is the specific guarantee that this replaces the lost firm capacity, given peak demand hit a record 4,484 MW in early 2025; and(d) The September 2025 Transmission Plan stated that construction of this type of infrastructure typically takes 5 to 10 years. With CEL East targeted for completion in the second half of 2029, which is less than four years from the funding announcement, what technical or procurement shortcuts are being relied upon to avoid the standard 10-year construction timeline?
I refer to the Government's April 2026 announcement of a $1.4 billion Clean Energy Fund and ask:
(a) How much has the Government invested to date to reach the current stage of CEL North and how much more is estimated to be required by 2027;
(b) Of the $1.4 billion in this CEF announcement, how much will be allocated specifically to the CEL East project;
(c) Noting that coal accounted for 29% of SWIS energy in 2024 and provided what the September 2025 Transmission Plan labelled 'consistent and firm generation', assuming the Government retires all state-owned coal by 2030, and CEL North and East only deliver 3 gigawatts of intermittent renewable energy, what is the specific guarantee that this replaces the lost firm capacity, given peak demand hit a record 4,484 MW in early 2025; and
(d) The September 2025 Transmission Plan stated that construction of this type of infrastructure typically takes 5 to 10 years. With CEL East targeted for completion in the second half of 2029, which is less than four years from the funding announcement, what technical or procurement shortcuts are being relied upon to avoid the standard 10-year construction timeline?
I refer to the Government's April 2026 announcement of a $1.4 billion Clean Energy Fund and ask:
(a) How much has the Government invested to date to reach the current stage of CEL North and how much more is estimated to be required by 2027;
(b) Of the $1.4 billion in this CEF announcement, how much will be allocated specifically to the CEL East project;
(c) Noting that coal accounted for 29% of SWIS energy in 2024 and provided what the September 2025 Transmission Plan labelled 'consistent and firm generation', assuming the Government retires all state-owned coal by 2030, and CEL North and East only deliver 3 gigawatts of intermittent renewable energy, what is the specific guarantee that this replaces the lost firm capacity, given peak demand hit a record 4,484 MW in early 2025; and
(d) The September 2025 Transmission Plan stated that construction of this type of infrastructure typically takes 5 to 10 years. With CEL East targeted for completion in the second half of 2029, which is less than four years from the funding announcement, what technical or procurement shortcuts are being relied upon to avoid the standard 10-year construction timeline?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
10 June 2026
Responded by
Minister for Energy and Decarbonisation; Manufacturing; Skills and TAFE; Pilbara
Response time
10 days
(a)
The estimated total cost of Clean Energy Link North is $1.2 billion.
(b)
The final funding allocation from Clean Energy Fund for CEL-East has not yet been determined.
(c)
The available “firm” capacity in the South West Interconnected System is measured by the Capacity Credits assigned by Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) for each year. There are 6,375 MW of Capacity Credits assigned in the SWIS for the 2027-28 Capacity Year and this is after the planned retirement of Collie Power Station (which does not have Capacity Credits for that year). The remaining Synergy Muja coal facilities have 422MW in Capacity Credits.
1,976 MW of additional Capacity Credits have been assigned by AEMO to new facilities and upgrades of existing facilities since the 4,484 MW peak demand record in early 2025. The CEL-North and CEL-East projects will release additional capacity, which will be available for both renewable generation and energy storage projects as well as new gas facilities on CEL-North.
(d)
The delivery timeframe for Clean Energy Link (CEL) East Stage 1 is not being achieved through technical or procurement shortcuts, but rather through deliberate early delivery planning within existing governance and procurement frameworks. This includes progressing scoping and planning activities in parallel rather than sequentially, early procurement of long-lead equipment, and leveraging existing design-and-construct panels and experienced delivery partners.
The estimated total cost of Clean Energy Link North is $1.2 billion.
(b)
The final funding allocation from Clean Energy Fund for CEL-East has not yet been determined.
(c)
The available “firm” capacity in the South West Interconnected System is measured by the Capacity Credits assigned by Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) for each year. There are 6,375 MW of Capacity Credits assigned in the SWIS for the 2027-28 Capacity Year and this is after the planned retirement of Collie Power Station (which does not have Capacity Credits for that year). The remaining Synergy Muja coal facilities have 422MW in Capacity Credits.
1,976 MW of additional Capacity Credits have been assigned by AEMO to new facilities and upgrades of existing facilities since the 4,484 MW peak demand record in early 2025. The CEL-North and CEL-East projects will release additional capacity, which will be available for both renewable generation and energy storage projects as well as new gas facilities on CEL-North.
(d)
The delivery timeframe for Clean Energy Link (CEL) East Stage 1 is not being achieved through technical or procurement shortcuts, but rather through deliberate early delivery planning within existing governance and procurement frameworks. This includes progressing scoping and planning activities in parallel rather than sequentially, early procurement of long-lead equipment, and leveraging existing design-and-construct panels and experienced delivery partners.
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