Energy costs in transition: decarbonising Western Australia’s South West Interconnected System
Aaron Walker A * , Jasmine Kaur A and Rebecca Tomkinson AA
Aaron Walker is a Policy Manager and Head of Economics at The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia, with over a decade of experience across macroeconomic, financial and policy roles. He oversees the Industry Competitiveness and Economics portfolio which is responsible for advocating for policy settings that make WA an attractive and competitive jurisdiction for resources investment and operations. Prior to CME, Aaron was a Senior Economist at the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) where he led the RBA’s Perth Office for 5 years. He holds a double degree in Economics and Commerce from the University of Western Australia, along with First Class Honours in Economics. |
Jasmine Kaur is a Senior Policy Advisor and Senior Economist at The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia. She has a background in economics and policy, and has worked across various organisations in both the public and private sectors in Australia across industries including resources, consulting, government, banking and finance. Jasmine has a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from Murdoch University and a Masters in Taxation from the University of Melbourne. Her academic background also includes a PhD in Economics from Murdoch University, with her research analysing port performance and productivity. |
Rebecca Tomkinson is the Chief Executive Officer of The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CME). Immediately prior to joining the CME, Rebecca was the Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in WA. In her early career, Rebecca worked in local, state and federal government before transitioning to executive roles in the corporate and community benefit sectors. Rebecca is a current board member of Infrastructure WA, Crown Perth and the Perth USAsia Centre. |
Abstract
The South West Interconnected System (SWIS) is one of Western Australia’s two main electricity grids. The SWIS network of electricity generation, storage, transmission and distribution infrastructure services the vast majority of the WA population, stretching from Albany in the Great Southern, up through the South West and Perth metropolitan area to Geraldton in the Mid West, and east through the Wheatbelt to Kalgoorlie. The SWIS services over 1 million residential, commercial and industrial customers, including a large number of The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA’s (CME’s) member companies who rely on the SWIS for reliable, cost-competitive electricity for their operations. As such, the SWIS is critical to both the ongoing viability and the decarbonisation pathways of CME members. Decarbonising WA’s economy is critical to attract new investment, create jobs and position our state as a leader in new low emission industries including critical minerals, hydrogen and green metals.
Keywords: decarbonisation, electricity, electricity grid, electricity prices, emissions, energy transition, modelling, South West Interconnected System (SWIS), transmission infrastructure, Western Australia.
Aaron Walker is a Policy Manager and Head of Economics at The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia, with over a decade of experience across macroeconomic, financial and policy roles. He oversees the Industry Competitiveness and Economics portfolio which is responsible for advocating for policy settings that make WA an attractive and competitive jurisdiction for resources investment and operations. Prior to CME, Aaron was a Senior Economist at the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) where he led the RBA’s Perth Office for 5 years. He holds a double degree in Economics and Commerce from the University of Western Australia, along with First Class Honours in Economics. |
Jasmine Kaur is a Senior Policy Advisor and Senior Economist at The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia. She has a background in economics and policy, and has worked across various organisations in both the public and private sectors in Australia across industries including resources, consulting, government, banking and finance. Jasmine has a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from Murdoch University and a Masters in Taxation from the University of Melbourne. Her academic background also includes a PhD in Economics from Murdoch University, with her research analysing port performance and productivity. |
Rebecca Tomkinson is the Chief Executive Officer of The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CME). Immediately prior to joining the CME, Rebecca was the Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in WA. In her early career, Rebecca worked in local, state and federal government before transitioning to executive roles in the corporate and community benefit sectors. Rebecca is a current board member of Infrastructure WA, Crown Perth and the Perth USAsia Centre. |
