Rare wind, solar and battery hybrid seeks environmental approvals in new renewables hotspot

An $800 million project combining wind, solar and battery storage is seeking a green tick from the federal environmental process, one of an estimated $19.05 billion worth of projects that are clustered around the Western Australian wheatbelt town of Narrogin.

The Narrogin East project, being developed by Lightsource bp around 8 kms to the east of the wheatbelt town, proposes to combine 250 megawatts (MW) of wind, 150 MW of solar energy and a 200 MW / 800 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery.

Projects combining wind and battery storage or solar and battery storage are now the de-facto standard for new renewable projects across Australia, but the combination of wind, solar and battery storage in one project is less common.

Lightsource bp says integrating wind, solar, and battery storage at a single site minimises land use and environmental impacts, lowers grid connection costs and avoids the duplication of ancillary assets such as substations.

“The project will generate, capture and store renewable energy for use when it’s most needed, supporting reliable, low-carbon electricity,” the company says.

“The battery will enable the project to store surplus energy during times of high renewable output and release it during peak demand, improving grid stability and maximising the efficiency of all renewable assets on site.”

Lightsource bp says the project will comprise 35 wind turbines and 246,000 PV modules, and the battery modules, and will built on mostly cleared land – used for cropping and grazing – that already features a 220 kV transmission line. The site covers 4,481 hectares, but only up to 470 hectares will be disturbed by the new activities.

“The site is also well serviced by existing road networks, enabling efficient transport of materials and reducing the need for substantial upgrades or new access tracks,” the application says.

The proposed Narrogin East wind, solar and battery site. Image: Lightsource bp

The Narrogin shire council tally puts the estimated capital cost of the project at $800 million, and a start date for construction of early 2028.

That’s a date which would be ambitious elsewhere in Australia but less so in Western Australia, where recent approval timelines have been accelerated. State planning applications are expected to be lodged soon.

The Narrogin council last year estimated there are $19.05 billion of renewable and storage projects proposed in the informal Narrogin renewable energy zone (REZ), classed as a regional initiative as opposed to a formal state-declared REZ.

The local shire council hopes the informal zone will give it more control over the scale of projects coming its way, and it has already waged several bruising fights with developers to try to force New South Wales-like conditions into planning permits via a backdoor route.

The strategy failed, but was followed by a state-led community benefits framework that matches the NSW payment values.  

The Narrogin shire council’s 2025 estimate of the known energy projects in its self-proclaimed REZ. Image: Narrogin shire council.

The most advanced of the projects in the region is Neoen’s 179 MW Narrogin wind farm, which recently landed a power purchase agreement and has begun construction to the south of the town.

The EPBC referral for the Narrogin East project suggests it’s already done some work to solve major environmental concerns.

It’s cut the amount of native bush clearing from 1.3 hectares by almost half, and reduced the damage to black cockatoo habitat from 14 hectares to 1.3 hectares, the referral says.

“[Mitigation measures] include increasing turbine tip heights from 40m above ground level (AGL) to 59m to minimise collision risk,” the referral documents say.

Surveys found no endangered plant life in the area Lightsource bp wants to build, but says it is, or could be, home to several birds and animals. 

Known or likely to use the area are forest red-tailed black cockatoos, Carnaby’s black cockatoos, red-tailed phascogales, a type of small mammal related to quolls and Tasmanian devils, western quolls, and fork-tailed swifts.

“Based on the extent and nature of impacts, the project is considered unlikely to result in a significant impact on matters of national environmental significance [MNES],” the EPBC documents say. 

“The development envelope does not represent important habitat for migratory species such as the fork-tailed swift, and is unlikely to support significant or self-sustaining populations of threatened fauna.”

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