en.Wedoany.com Reported - Pacific Energy has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Horizon Power, Western Australia's state-owned regional energy provider, to build a renewable energy-based power system in the Goldfields town of Menzies, aiming to meet up to 80% of the town's energy needs by 2027.
The new system, designed, built, and operated by Perth-based Pacific Energy, will integrate 409 kW of solar power with 2.8 MWh of battery storage. The solar array and battery system will supply approximately 80% of the town's total electricity, with diesel generation used only as backup when necessary. Located about 280 meters south of the existing power station, construction is scheduled to begin later this year, with first power supply to the Menzies community expected in 2027. Currently, the town's electricity is primarily reliant on diesel generation assets nearing the end of their operational life.
Krystal Skinner, CEO of Horizon Power, stated that replacing aging infrastructure with a new hybrid renewable energy system will improve power reliability, reduce emissions, and meet the town's long-term energy needs. She noted that the system will achieve a high penetration of renewable energy, supporting broader adoption of customer-led energy solutions such as solar and battery storage, while ensuring the town can accommodate future residential and industrial growth.
David Michael, Western Australia's Minister for Mines, stated that Menzies' transition to renewable energy reflects trends in other remote communities and off-grid operations in the region. He pointed out that the area is already leading in emissions reduction, with several new mines utilizing solar and wind power combined with battery storage to meet up to 100% of their electricity needs from renewables, while household energy users are also joining this transition.
The Menzies microgrid project is another initiative by Horizon Power. The company operates one of the world's most extensive grids, covering most of the state across an area of 2.3 million square kilometers. As part of its mandate, Horizon Power runs 38 microgrids in some of the most remote isolated communities, many of which currently rely on a mix of natural gas and diesel. This situation is changing, driven both by the state's goal of achieving a 100% renewable energy grid by 2030 and by the economic competitiveness of technologies like solar and battery storage over traditional generation sources.
Additionally, Pacific Energy is constructing a 2.4 MW solar farm with 9.9 MWh of battery storage in the Goldfields town of Leonora, while a system supplying power to Exmouth in the state's Gascoyne region—comprising a 9.6 MW solar farm and 10 MW/49.6 MWh battery storage—is nearing completion.
