Burrup Common User Transmission Infrastructure

Project FAQs

• Project rationale and benefits

  Transmission infrastructure is critical for connecting renewable energy to where the demand for electricity is. New common use infrastructure in the Pilbara will reduce environmental impact by preventing unnecessary infrastructure duplication. It will also enable access to diverse renewable energy sources, support energy security and reliability, and support the state government greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.

  Development of the Burrup (Murujuga) Corridor is an important first step for the State’s Pilbara Energy Transition Plan.

  The final transmission line build solution will be driven by industry with endorsement from the traditional owners and custodians.

• Project elements

  The Proposed Action contains the following elements:

  • Approximately 7 kilometre (km) long transmission line
  • A single, unsealed access track for operations and ongoing maintenance
  • A new Substation on the Burrup (inclusive of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), transformers, perimeter fencing and ancillary equipment)
  • Expansion of Horizon Power’s Dampier Substation to facilitate the inclusion of high voltage switchgear and ancillary equipment

  Associated electrical infrastructure  

• Heritage

  The Project is located on Murujuga (Burrup Peninsula) in WA, approximately 1.5 km east of the Dampier township. Murujuga is the traditional Aboriginal name for the Dampier Archipelago and its surrounds, also home to one of the largest, densest and most diverse collections of rock art in the world.

  Horizon Power is committed to working with the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC) to avoid direct impacts to known Aboriginal cultural heritage and would have Aboriginal heritage monitors on site during vegetation clearing. We have worked with the MAC to undertake Aboriginal cultural heritage site avoidance surveys, to progress designs that avoid impact to Aboriginal cultural heritage sites.

  It should be noted that the survey reports are confidential and will not be made publicly available due to cultural sensitivity reasons.  

• Environment

  Biological survey has been completed for this project, and avoidance of significant environmental features has been undertaken in consultation with key environmental government agencies.

  The project was referred to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in November 2022, with the EPA deciding not to assess under Part IV of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (EP Act) in August 2023. A clearing permit under Part V of the EP has been granted by the Department of Water and Environment Regulation (DWER) in December 2024.

  The project was also referred to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) in November 2022 and was determined to be a ‘controlled action’. A delegate for the Minister for the Environment and Water decided that the project must be assessed by preliminary documentation. Horizon Power prepared and advertised the preliminary documentation for public comment as required under the EPBC Act, and the final approval was obtained in November 2024.

• Community engagement

  Horizon Power has been meeting with relevant stakeholders for this project since August 2020, as summarised in the Communication and Engagement Plan.