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The Water Corporation called for tenders yesterday to supply 200GWh a year of renewable energy for the planned Southern Seawater Desalination Plant in Binningup in the state's south-west.
Some 160GWh would be supplied from tried and tested renewable energy sources, such as wind farms. But the authority wants up to 40GWh per year to come from technology not yet commercially proven on a large scale.
WA Premier Alan Carpenter said this would provide the renewable energy industry with a good opportunity to bring fledging technology to commercialisation.
"With Western Australia's natural geographical attributes, we have the potential to develop and utilise new technologies such as geothermal and wave power," he said.
The Water Corporation expects to have the tender process finalised by May, with the second desalination plant expected to be operational in 2011.
