Tenders open for Borumba pumped hydro project

About 700 people have attended a series of industry briefings in Gympie, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast as tenders open for a multitude of contracts for the $14.2billion Mary Valley project. Vote in our poll on this important but controversial project:

As business tenders open for the Borumba pumped hydro project concerns continue to be raised from landowners affected by its associated powerline infrastructure.

Queensland Hydro has announced a number of tenders available for the $14.2 billion Borumba pumped hydro project in the Mary Valley in a series of industry briefings in Brisbane, Caloundra and Gympie. 

The pumped hydro project will transform Borumba Dam into a 2000 megawatt powerhouse with seven dams across two reservoirs. When running at full capacity, energy will flow through a 400m-deep underground power station to power up to two million Queensland homes.

Qld Hydro CEO Kieran Cusack said the tenders extended across nine packages of the exploratory works and included exploratory tunnelling, geotechnical drilling, roads and access, exploratory phase camp, water supply and waste treatment, technical assurance works, temporary bridge supplies and survey works.

Qld Hydro Kieran Cusack speaking at the Gympie industry briefing. Qld Hydro has been holding a series of briefings for early business insights into the project. Picture: (supplied)

“We will be looking to encourage local businesses to get involved,” Mr Cusack said.

Around 100 people attended Qld Hydro’s industry briefing on Friday morning in Gympie. The entire series of briefings, with another two in Brisbane and Caloundra, reached up to 700 people, he said.

The tenders are open until September 2023, with work slotted in to start at the end of this year, and interested businesses can apply through the Qld Hydro website.

As the project opens up economic opportunities, it has raised serious concerns from impacted Gympie and South Burnett landholders who have properties within the associated transmission lines.

Last Monday, July 3, affected landholders met with National Party leader David Littleproud and Wide Bay MP Llew O’Brien in Kilkivan to air their concerns.

Kilkivan Action Group met with Llew O'Brien and David Littleproud about the Qld Hydro Borumba pumped hydro project and the Powerlink associated transmission lines on Monday, July 3, 2023. Picture: Christine Schindler

The National Party is pushing for a discussion around nuclear power. This however, would mean changing Commonwealth legislation from 1998 before construction of a nuclear plant could even approach government and environmental approvals.

Mr Littleproud reiterated his commitment to push for a senate inquiry into renewable energy, despite four unheeded attempts already.

The real time effects of the renewable energy transition are being felt across Gympie and South Burnett with multiple projects in various stages throughout the region.

In total, the state government is investing $700 million into renewable energy across the Wide Bay and Burnett this financial year.

Mr Cusack said the future of Australia’s energy was not just about pumped hydro, but “requires a number of different sources of storage and batteries”.

The transition to renewables was the “most profound economic change to civilisation of our time”, he said.