With development approval now secured, BLT Energy said it will progress detailed engineering design and financing in preparation for Phase 1 construction, while continuing to work with the Shire of Gingin, the local community and Traditional Owners to define community benefits over the project’s life.
Commissioning is targeted for 2028-2029, a timeline BLT Energy has positioned against the scheduled retirement of state-owned coal-fired power stations by 2030.
Red Gully’s approval lands in a Western Australian electricity market where battery storage has been setting penetration records at a pace not seen in other parts of the country.
In May 2026, utility-scale battery storage in the SWIS supplied a record 37.2% of peak demand, a level state Energy Policy WA coordinator Jai Thomas described as “one of the highest battery storage penetration levels recorded in an isolated grid globally,” achieved after a day in which renewables supplied 78% of generation.
That figure understated the actual share of energy storage on the system as it excluded behind-the-meter (BTM) battery contributions.
