Conservation groups say the new Queensland government must quickly announce details of its alternative energy plans, after confirmation the new LNP administration will scrap the state’s attempts to build the “world’s largest” hydroelectricity project.
The premier, David Crisafulli, has confirmed the LNP would, as promised during the election campaign, end planning for a proposed 5GW Pioneer Burdekin pumped hydro scheme that would have constructed a massive energy storage dam in central Queensland.
The LNP criticised the project as “not feasible” and a “hoax”. It has said it will now “investigate opportunities for smaller, more manageable pumped hydro projects”.
Those could include privately funded projects, or government-backed construction.
The Queensland Conservation Council said the new government should release details of those plans as a priority, within the first 100 days of government, given how critical such storage projects were to meeting energy transition targets.
The Crisafulli government also committed to meeting Labor’s renewable energy targets, which require 50% of the state’s generation to be sourced by renewables by 2030; 70% by 2032; and 80% by 2035.
Long-duration storage would be required to meet those targets.
“It’s really important that the new state government is upfront about which pumped hydro projects they’re considering,” said Dave Copeman, the director of the Queensland Conservation Council.
“Queenslanders want to know they’re serious about getting on with the energy transition, but also, critically, we need to be able to assess the potential environmental impacts of their plans.”
Government sources and experts have said the Pioneer Burdekin site was ideal for pumped hydro storage, but the plan had met with significant local opposition.
Others have questioned the lack of detail, including the total cost, of the project.
Dr Dylan McConnell, an energy systems analyst at the University of New South Wales, told Guardian Australia during the election campaign that mega projects such as the Pioneer Burdekin would probably result in cost blowouts and delays.
He said several smaller projects could help “diversify the risk” of delays; but that the falling cost of batteries could mean that, by the time pumped hydro projects were built, “it could be cheaper to build chemical storage”.
Copeman said the QCC had sought more transparency from the previous state government about why it chose the Pioneer Burdekin project.
“Transparency is vital so Queenslanders can make an informed decision,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the debate about Pioneer Burdekin became a political one as opposed to one based on data.
“We absolutely support the energy transition because climate change is one of the biggest threats to our biodiversity and the places that Queenslanders love, but development needs to be well planned and done right.
“The worst outcome would be if the cumulative environmental impact and cost of building multiple smaller pumped hydro projects is significantly greater.
“We can’t know that until the LNP government is upfront about their plans.”
Crisafulli has said the new government may look to “partner with” proponents of smaller pumped hydro projects already in the pipeline, and to bring these online sooner than Pioneer Burdekin would have been.
The new government remains supportive of the 2GW Borumba pumped hydro project, which has progressed further than Pioneer Burdekin, and is already at the early works phase.
It is understood the state has already acquired more than 50 properties as part of its planning to build Pioneer Burdekin.
“We are working through the process [with landholders] … but it’s going to be what the people want,” the deputy premier, Jarrod Bleijie, said.
“I have asked the department and Queensland Hydro to … stop any progress on that project, which they have done.”
