The $14.2 billion Borumba Pumped Hydro Energy Storage project has been declared a coordinated project in what the State Government hails as a milestone in its development.
Geotechnical exploratory drilling has started on the Gympire region project, which lies in the Southern Queensland Renewable Energy Zone.
“The declaration of this project represents a major milestone for one of Queensland’s most significant renewable energy projects,” Member for Caloundra Jason Hunt said.
“We’re continuing to pack renewable energy projects to deliver more good Queensland jobs and reach our renewable energy targets.”
The project, being developed by Queensland Hydro, involves building a new upper reservoir, as well as a new dam wall that will replace the existing Borumba Dam wall and increase Lake Borumba’s storage capacity from 46 to 224 gigalitres.
It would have the capacity to generate up to 2000 megawatts of electricity for up to 24 hours at a time.
The government said the coordinated project declaration by Queensland’s Coordinator-General meant a rigorous assessment of social, economic and environmental matters could begin.
The community will have opportunities to comment on what should be included in the environmental impact statement (EIS) as well as Queensland Hydro’s assessment of the project and proposed mitigations to avoid and minimise impacts.
Queensland Hydro chief executive officer Kieran Cusack said the coordinated project declaration was a significant milestone for the Borumba project as the group worked to prepare a rigorous environmental impact statement.
Mr Cusack said Queensland Hydro took its environmental responsibility seriously and was committed to implementing measures that minimised potential impacts on local ecosystems and the environment.
“We will work proactively with the local community, Traditional Owners, leading experts and conservation groups throughout the process to ensure we’re implementing sustainable practices at all stages of the project, and we will keep them updated on the progress at regular intervals,” he said.
