Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced a $62 billion Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan, including the world’s largest pumped hydro plan.
Key Points:
- Ernst and Young estimated that the government’s energy and jobs plan will support around 100,000 more jobs
- The Prime Minister says the projects are of “national importance” and bigger than Snowy Hydro 2.0
- Ms Palaszczuk says existing coal-fired power stations would gradually become clean energy hubs from 2027
Ms Palaszczuk unveiled the State Government’s new ten-year energy plan in her annual CEDA State of the State address.
The Premier revealed that there will be two new hydrocarbons pumped at Pioneer/Burdekin and Borumba Dam by 2035.
He also said that 70% of the state’s energy supply would come from renewable energy by 2032 and 80% by 2035.
The government’s previous target was for 50% of Queensland’s electricity consumption to come from renewable energy by 2030.
Currently, about 21.4 percent of the electricity used in the state comes from renewable energy.
Ms Palaszczuk said the state could not get to net zero without storing renewable energy to make it reliable.
“And with climate change there will be more unseasonal rainfall and other weather events that affect the reliability of renewable energy,” he said.
“These events can last for days, which current battery technologies cannot scale.
“That’s why more pumped hydro energy storage is needed.”
Project ‘bigger than Snowy Hydro’
He said the first project would be the Borumba Pumped Hydro located west of Gympie, targeted for completion by 2030, which would provide 2 gigawatts of 24-hour storage.
“Today I am also announcing the second preferred pumped hydro site 70 kilometers west of Mackay for renewable energy storage,” he said.
“It will be formally known as the Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro Project – I prefer to call it the Northern Battery.
“It will be the largest pumped hydro storage in the world, with 5 gigawatts of 24-hour storage and the potential for stage 1 to be completed by 2032.
“These are projects of national importance on a scale not seen since the construction of Snowy Hydro, which is bigger than Snowy Hydro.”
Palaszczuk said the new targets of “70 per cent renewable energy by 2032 and 80 per cent by 2035” would be legislated.
It also said the plan would deliver a 50% reduction in electricity sector emissions from 2005 levels by 2030 and a 90% reduction in electricity emissions by 2025-36.
Coal-fired power plants to become clean energy centers
Ms Palaszczuk said existing coal-fired power stations would gradually become clean energy hubs from 2027.
“The infrastructure for clean energy centers will include: continuing to use the large spinning turbines of power plants to provide strength for the energy system to take more renewable energy; grid-scale batteries; gas and then hydrogen power plants; and maintenance centers for the next government-owned renewable solar and wind farms,” he said.
“This means these energy centers will continue to contribute to regional economies.”
He said the government would not convert coal-fired power stations “until there is firm replacement generation”.
Ms Palaszczuk says existing coal-fired power stations will gradually become clean energy hubs from 2027. (ABC News)
Palaszczuk also announced there would be an “Energy Workers’ Charter and Work Safety Guarantee”, which the government would sign after her speech today.
“The job security guarantee will be backed by a $150 million funding commitment,” he said.
“The guarantee will support workers in accessing retraining, moving to new opportunities and advising on future career paths.
He said those pathways could include work on the new supergrid, jobs at renewable energy maintenance centers and building and deploying flow battery technologies.
The State Government would build transmission and training centers in Gladstone and Townsville “which will support 570 workers each year”.
Ms Palaszczuk said the Ernst and Young model estimated that overall the government’s energy and jobs plan “will support around 100,000 more jobs”.