Energy in Western Australia

Western Australia, like other Australian states and high-income countries, is a heavy energy user by global standards.

The most distinctive features of Western Australia's energy systems are the massive export of natural gas, its independence from the interconnected cross-state gas and electricity networks in eastern Australia, and the presence of two separate large-scale grids and many microgrids to provide power for the sparsely populated state.

However, it is unclear whether the policy is economically beneficial overall, with some modelling (supported in part by Woodside Petroleum, a major gas producer) suggesting otherwise.

[3] Western Australia's size and remoteness have resulted in two completely separate large-scale energy grids in different parts of the state.

[7] The SWIS is supplied by a combination of gas-fired, coal-fired, solar, wind, and tiny amounts of hydroelectricity generation.