Affordable power essential to delivering Made in WA ambitions - CMEWA

The Chief Executive of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Western Australia (CMEWA) has stated that affordable electricity is essential to supporting Western Australia's manufacturing ambitions. The statement frames power cost as a competitive lever for attracting and retaining industrial production in the state.

Where this fits

This is a cost story, and it names the real constraint on industrial strategy. WA manufacturing competes globally; electricity is a major input cost, and if the grid transition locks in higher system costs through firming, transmission overbuild, and battery storage, WA loses manufacturing competitiveness relative to jurisdictions with cheaper firm power. The article does not specify whether WA's path relies on renewables-only or includes dispatchable generation; that choice determines whether affordable power is feasible at scale.

What it means

Manufacturing cannot tolerate unreliable or expensive power. If Western Australia pursues a renewables-dominated grid, whole-system costs rise due to the need for gas peaking plants, large-scale battery storage, and transmission to move variable generation from remote sites to load centres. These costs are passed to industry. The alternative, a grid with a strong firm, low-material backbone, is available but requires dispatchable power. Australia's ban on new nuclear plants forecloses the lowest-cost, lowest-emission firm option and leaves gas as the only dispatchable anchor. WA's manufacturing ambitions hinge on whether the state's grid is built for reliability and cost, or optimised for renewable installed capacity at the expense of both.