John Poynton-chaired Strike Energy has cleared a planning hurdle over its $100 million South Erregulla power station proposal.
John Poynton-chaired Strike Energy has cleared a planning hurdle over its $100 million South Erregulla power station proposal.
The Regional Development Assessment Panel today unanimously approved Strike Energy's application to build a gas fired power station on Tomkins Road, in Arrowsmith East.
The development comprises a gas fired peaking power plant with a maximum export capacity of 90 megawatts.
It will include 20 4.5MW generators, 20 silencer stacks, elevated horizontal radiators, a switchyard, and a 20 kilolitre-waste water treatment system.
The proposed plant would be fuelled by the South Erregulla gas field in the Perth Basin.
Earlier this year, Strike downgraded gas reserves after disappointing results.
Strike Energy chief development and marketing officer Crispin Collier said the company worked with the Australian Energy Market Operator and other regulators to come up with a plan after finding the resource was far smaller than expected.
"The power station takes a small amount of gas, four terajoules a day, and we’ll convert it into power when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining," he said at the meeting.
"When it’s not windy or sunny and we still want electricity, that’s when the plant will operate."
Mr Collier said the development's purpose was to provide power at periods of peak demand into the South West Interconnected System when renewable energy was not available.
The project site, in the Shire of Three Springs, covers 2,020.4 hectares of land and has been used for cropping and sheep grazing.
However, the agricultural land has also been used for petroleum including Strike Energy's South Erregulla exploration wells.
The power station is expected to start an 18-month construction in April 2025, to be operating in 2026, according to Mr Collier.
It is estimated to have a life span of 20 years.
Strike Energy also lodged a separate development application for powerlines, which will connect the recently approved-power station into nearby transmission lines and the SWIS.
