The buyer of South Fremantle Power Station remains undisclosed but Synergy says it was not the business which initially approached the government last year.
Business News revealed last month that Synergy had entered a conditional agreement for the old South Fremantle Power Station site, although the government-owned utility said it was unable to name the buyer until particular conditions were satisfied.
Also in February, network operator Western Power told Business News it had no immediate plans to move its transmission node neighbouring the power station, previously tipped as a major step to redevelop the precinct.
That followed a process announced in June to open expressions of interest to sell the power plant site.
Today, Synergy has clarified some previously unknown details of the deal.
A spokesperson said 11 parties entered the expression of interest process for the site.
All participated in the due diligence process, the spokesperson said, and it lasted five weeks.
That included the company which made the initial approach to the government.
But that company did not win the EOI process, Synergy said today.
Energy Minister Bill Johnston outlined that initial approach in parliament on June 24, according to Hansard.
Mr Johnston said it was an unsolicited offer.
“This is not a market-led proposal,” he said.
“In fact, when I met with the proponents at that Zoom meeting in April, I said that there were two pathways for them.
“The first pathway is they could deal with Synergy, and Synergy would make its own decision about its own commercial interests and come to a conclusion about that, or they could put in a market-led proposal, which would get a whole-of-government response.”
There had been no undertakings about road access, planning or other procedures, he said, labelling it a straight sale of property.
Synergy said today it was bound by “confidentially obligations under the conditional agreement which prevents the potential buyer’s name being released”, and that was designed to help protect the utility if it needed to remarket the property if the sale does not go ahead.
When asked what conditions needed to be satisfied for the agreement to be finalised, the spokesperson said they “address the challenges of an unoccupied heritage listed site”.
The 70 year old South Fremantle Power Station has been disused for years, but the prime land was flagged as part of the Cockburn Coast development.
The old power station has been heritage listed and subject to investigation regarding potential contamination.
