Energy utility completes EV fast-charging loop in world’s biggest isolated grid

Government-owned energy retailer and generator Synergy says it has completed the installation and commissioning of the Northam EV charging location, the final location to be completed in the state’s main grid, known as the Southwest Interconnected System (SWIS).

The SWIS, which is regarded as the biggest isolated grid in the world – it has no links to other states or countries – stretches across the south-west of the state from north of Perth south to Albany and east to the mining region around Kalgoorlie.

The WA EV Network – the country’s longest – is being rolled out between Synergy and Horizon Power, WA’s government-owned regional and remote energy provider and will consist of 110 EV fast charing points across 49 locations and over 7,000 kms,  from Mundrabilla at the South Australian border to Kununurra in the far north of Western Australia.

Synergy CEO David Fyfe says Fyfe EV drivers have already achieved more than 24,360 charges at the various locations, which feature fast chargers ranging between 75 kW and 150 kW and AC charging backups.

The existence of the WA EV Network inspired Time Magazine in July to list  the state as one of the Top 100 World’s Greatest Places to visit in 2024.