The State Government’s State of Energy initiative highlights just how much Western Australia’s electricity system is expected to change over the next couple of decades. Modelling suggests that demand on the State’s main electricity grid could be up to five times the 2022 level within 20 years.

That is going to require a substantial amount of new wind and solar generation, battery storage and transmission infrastructure, much of it in regional WA.

There is plenty of discussion about the technology, investment and electricity network, but less about the planning and environmental issues involved in getting these projects off the ground.

From our experience working on renewable energy projects, these issues can have a major bearing on whether a site is suitable and how a project develops.

The Wheatbelt, Mid West, Great Southern, Goldfields and Pilbara are all likely to see considerable renewable energy development. These are also areas with established agricultural operations, native vegetation, Aboriginal cultural heritage and existing communities.

A site might have an excellent wind or solar resource and be reasonably close to transmission infrastructure, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is suitable for development.

There may be remnant vegetation or fauna habitat that needs to be protected, houses close to proposed infrastructure, existing agricultural activities that need to be accommodated, or difficulties getting large construction vehicles onto the site.

Land tenure can also be more complicated than it first appears. Unmade road reserves, easements and other interests can affect where infrastructure can be located and what arrangements need to be made before development can proceed.

We see these sorts of issues regularly in planning work, and they are not always apparent when a developer first identifies a site.

The earlier they are investigated, the more flexibility there is to do something about them. It might be a matter of adjusting the layout, excluding part of the property or changing the proposed access arrangements. Occasionally, it may mean reconsidering the site altogether.

This is where preliminary planning and environmental investigations, supported by GIS mapping, can be useful. They can provide a fairly good understanding of the constraints without having to commission every technical study at the outset.

Land Insights worked on the Narrogin Solar and Battery Hybrid Project, comprising a proposed 200 MW solar farm and 800 MWh battery energy storage system on rural land near Narrogin.

One of the issues we encountered was the number of unmade and historical road reserves running through the land. These had to be investigated and dealt with as part of establishing the development footprint.

We also coordinated flora investigations and a visual impact assessment, with the findings taken into account in the project layout.

These were matters that needed to be worked through as the project developed, rather than left until the development application was ready to lodge.

We managed the planning and environmental work, prepared the development application and represented the proponent through the Development Assessment Panel process. Development approval was granted in June 2025.

Read more about the Narrogin project.

Getting the approvals right

Depending on the nature and location of a project, there may be a number of separate approvals required, including development approval, vegetation clearing permits, environmental approvals and Aboriginal heritage requirements.

These processes need to be considered together. For example, an environmental investigation may identify an area that should be excluded from development, which could then affect the layout, access and engineering design.

We generally recommend working out the likely approvals pathway and the main site constraints before committing to detailed project design. It can save considerable time and expense later.

There have also been changes to the planning approval process in WA. For applications lodged from 5 October 2026, renewable energy developments valued at $20 million or more generally fall under the State’s Significant Development Pathway, with the Western Australian Planning Commission responsible for determining applications.

We covered those changes in our earlier article, Renewable Energy Approvals in WA: New SDAU Rules.

The changes provide a more consistent process for major projects, but proponents still need to demonstrate that their particular site and proposal are appropriate.

Renewable energy projects can provide significant opportunities for regional communities, including construction employment, local spending and community investment.

They can also affect neighbouring properties, agricultural operations and the local landscape. Some of these impacts may not be obvious until discussions take place with landowners, local governments and other stakeholders.

The State Government has introduced a Community Benefits Guideline for large renewable energy projects connected to the South West Interconnected System. This provides guidance on how communities can share in the benefits of renewable energy development.

However, community benefit arrangements don’t replace the need to consult properly about the development itself. We think that engagement should start during site selection and feasibility, when there is still an opportunity to respond to local concerns.

Transmission upgrades such as Clean Energy Link North, between Malaga and Three Springs, will provide additional capacity for renewable generation in the Mid West.

More capacity will mean more sites being looked at, and the same constraints will apply.

Our advice is to investigate those matters early, before too much money has been committed to a particular site or design.

Land Insights assists renewable energy proponents across WA with site investigations, planning and environmental assessments, approvals strategies and development applications. If you’re considering a project and want to understand the likely planning and environmental requirements, get in touch.