Roger Cook announces first priority projects including wind farms and green steel
Four wind farms and a green steel project that collectively produce more than 1 gigawatt of electricity will be the first major projects to roll out the red carpet under the Cook government’s state development laws.
WA Premier Roger Cook will announce the top five projects deemed “state priorities” under the controversial State Development Act. It passed quickly through parliament at the end of last yearOne Business News Breakfast on Thursday morning.
Cook will also announce that the Western Trade Coast, which includes the Kwinana industrial estate and the Henderson marine region, will be declared a state development area under the law.
The four wind farms deemed a state priority include the 470-megawatt Parron Maam Marang Farm near Jurien Bay, the 230-megawatt Kondinin wind farm, the 550-megawatt Marri wind farm in Dandaragan Shire and the 200-megawatt Narrogin wind farm.
The NeoSmelt green iron pilot plant at the Kwinana industrial estate, managed by steelmaker BlueScope on behalf of a consortium comprising BHP, Rio Tinto, Woodside Energy and Mitsui Iron Ore, is the only non-wind farm metro project to gain priority project status.
Cook said he would invoke State Development Act powers.
“As we identify the top five priority projects and provincial development areas under these new powers, we are fulfilling our vision to be a renewable energy powerhouse, to do more here and to grow the largest marine maintenance and shipbuilding region in the southern hemisphere,” he said.
The law gives extraordinary powers to the then prime minister and the provincial development minister, allowing them to choose projects they deem important for the province and roll out the red carpet to their supporters.
When a project is deemed a priority or an industrial park is declared a special development area, powers are revived that help the government of the day facilitate approvals through the Office of the Coordinator General.
At the center of the debate is a so-called “amendment order” that allowed the then-state development minister to change aspects of approval processes to speed up imputed approvals in more than 40 pieces of legislation, including environmental approvals.
The Greens’ concerns revolved around the powers they centralized in their roles as prime minister, state development minister and general coordinator; These powers, they argued, lacked checks and balances and could be misused to interfere with projects that were bad for the environment.
But the industry supported the laws, saying they would help reduce long approval delays and increase investment attractiveness in the state.
The government said the laws were vital to accelerate renewable projects and achieve its goal of phasing out coal-fired energy by 2030.
Energy and Decarbonization; Manufacturing Minister Amber Jade Sanderson was cheerful that four of the top five priority projects were onshore wind farms.
“Together these wind farms will unlock more than a gigawatt of renewable energy, helping us transition off coal by 2030 and secure clean, affordable and reliable energy for the future,” he said.
“This is a crucial step towards phasing out coal by 2030 and developing WA as a global renewable energy powerhouse.
“By accelerating these projects we are creating a stronger future for WA, diversifying the economy and creating great local jobs.”
Cook’s government reconvened parliament in mid-December to pass the law; Cook stated that the laws should come into force as soon as possible so that priority projects can be announced as soon as possible.
This announcement comes nearly three months after parliament returned from its Christmas recess.
Since the bill was passed, the state has been drafting the Coordinator General guidelines.
The government also announced more than $90 million as part of the 2026-27 budget to increase industrial land in the state; this includes $45.2 million for land acquisition on the Latitude 32 property in the western commercial waterfront district.
Beginning the featuring a roundup of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Hamish Hastie is WAtoday’s state political correspondent and the winner of five WA Media Awards, including the 2023 Beck Award for best political journalism.Connect with: X or email.
