Powering WA’s Future
Western Australia is the powerhouse of the nation. Our State is host to many major projects and offers significant economic opportunity.
Maintaining our modern way of life depends on energy that is both reliable and affordable. Add in decarbonisation, and the challenge is enormous.
As we face the energy transition head on, there are two critical issues that policy makers and industry must consider:
- How WA transitions our domestic energy supply toward a lower emissions footprint, while maintaining reliability and affordability; and
- How WA capitalises on the economic and industrial opportunities that the energy transition presents.
To answer these questions, CCIWA engaged Deloitte Access Economics (Deloitte) to assess different viable pathways for how the energy transition might evolve in a WA‑specific context.
Ultimately, WA businesses and industry need to maintain commercial competitiveness while progressively decarbonising.
We found that this is underpinned by three core principles:
- Competitiveness is key to WA’s future economy.
- An agnostic approach to generation, storage, and abatement; and
- Messaging matters – Government and Industry can and should work together to champion our energy future.
What does the modelling show?
Developed for WA, Deloitte’s Energy System Pathways model was used to simultaneously project all sectors of the economy to understand how the transition could unfold, without losing the current baseline of industry. The model is technology agnostic – for energy generation, storage, and abatement – ensuring the best cost outcomes for WA.
To ensure the effectiveness of the model, CCIWA asked Deloitte to run five scenarios. For each scenario, the model identified the least cost option, optimising the energy generation, storage, transmission and use mix.
Five Scenarios
Net Zero by 2050
What is the least cost path for WA to achieve Net Zero by 2050?
Accelerated CCUS
What happens if the cost of carbon capture, utilisation and storage decreases?
Early Gas Retirement
What if gas is made unavailable and needs to be replaced by other generation technologies?
Diversified Industries
What if WA’s diversification agenda takes off?
Delayed Net Zero
What if we don’t meet Net Zero by 2050?
Read the Report
Industry Stories – Coming Soon
CCIWA acknowledges there are a diversity of views on policy issues within its vast membership, and that as such there may be different views on the issues included in this project.
CCIWA seeks to understand the views of all its Members, and ultimately, in keeping with its Constitution, forms policy positions consistent with the long-term interests of the overall economy, for the benefit of communities in WA.
