The Queensland government has announced AU$22m (拢12m) for detailed design and cost analysis of the pumped hydro scheme at Borumba Dam.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the project had the potential to be the state鈥檚 largest pumped hydro station, powering an estimated 1.5 million homes.
Palaszczuk said that her government has been exploring potential sites for pumped hydro since 2017. 鈥淲e鈥檙e prioritising Borumba because of its existing dam infrastructure, land access and location within the Southern Queensland Renewable Energy Zone,鈥� she said. 鈥淪upporting investment in renewables is part of Queensland鈥檚 plan for economic recovery from the global coronavirus pandemic. It will deliver clean energy and support thousands of jobs into the future.鈥�
Treasurer Cameron Dick said the business case would include detailed engineering and design, hydrological modelling, geological testing, an assessment of environmental impacts and community consultation. 鈥淲e鈥檙e investing $22 million to potentially unlock a multi-billion-dollar construction project that would leverage billions more in clean energy investment and support thousands of jobs,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is an investment in jobs and renewable power that can be used at any time of the day to feed Queensland consumers and Queensland industry.鈥�
Minister for energy, renewables and hydrogen Mick de Brenni said, at one gigawatt, Borumba would have double the generation and triple the storage of Wivenhoe. 鈥淭he benefits of having pumped hydro as part of our diversified energy mix was proven last month when Callide Power Station went offline,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e were able to ramp up the Wivenhoe Hydroelectric Station to provide critical generation support and stabilise the network.
鈥淧umped hydro storage is flexible, reliable, and complements renewable energy generation such as solar and wind. That鈥檚 why Queensland needs more of it as we progress to 50 per cent renewables by 2030.鈥�
Publicly-owned electricity transmission company Powerlink has been tasked with undertaking the business case, given its understanding of the electricity market and experience delivering very large infrastructure.
The business case is expected to take up to 24 months, with a submission expected to government by mid-to-end-2023.
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