Llew O’Brien criticises controversial Borumba pumped hydro powerlines

A federal MP has taken aim at a controversial renewable energy project, saying landholders are at a major disadvantage and the environment is being “trampled” in the name of green power.

Wide Bay LNP MP Llew O'Brien has blasted a controversial proposal to lay high voltage transmission lines across hundreds of kilometres of land in the Gympie and South Burnett regions as part of the proposed Borumba Dam pumped hydro plan.

Powerlink has defended controversial plans to build high voltage power lines across Gympie after LNP MP Llew O’Brien blasted the proposal, saying the “parasite pylons” would invade the region.

Mr O’Brien blasted a plan to string the lines across hundreds of kilometres of the Gympie and South Burnett regions as part of a proposed plan to turn Borumba Dam into a pumped hydro plant.

The proposal has been met with resistance from corners of the community who found themselves in the proposed paths of the transmission corridors needed to connect the dam with a substation at Woolooga, more than 60km north.

On Monday Mr O’Brien blasted the plan and process involved, saying the “pylon parasites would invade the Wide Bay”.

“If the proposal proceeds, transmission towers of up to 500 Kilovolts, up to 70m high and comprising 75 metric tonnes of steel atop 20 cu m of concrete foundation would be built across more than a hundred private properties between Borumba and Woolooga,” Mr O’Brien said.

On Thursday a Powerlink spokeswoman defended the process and planning involved in determining the location of the high voltage power lines needed to connect the proposed pumped hydro dam at Borumba with the Woolooga substation, saying it had a compensation scheme and had considered a range of factors including the environment.

The dam’s technology came under fire too, with Mr O’Brien calling it “old” and reliant on “intermittent solar and wind”.

Mr O’Brien unloaded on the “clear power imbalance” between landowners and state-owned energy corporations “threatening to compulsorily acquire and access private land”, and criticised what he said was a double standard on the environment.

“The privately held forest to be cleared for construction and maintenance of these towers is also a habitat for critically endangered fauna and flora, including the northern quoll, koalas and native guava,” Mr O’Brien said.

The state government’s plans to build a pumped hydro plant at Borumba Dam have been met with backlash from corners of the community who will be in the path of the high voltage transmission corridor needed to connect the dam to the electrical grid. Photo: Brett Wortman / Sunshine Coast Daily

“Yes, transmission lines get priority.

“Traveston Crossing dam was cancelled due to the impact on endangered flora and fauna, but now it seems that it‘s okay for the state government to trample all over habitat, because it’s for renewable energy transmission lines.”

On Thursday a Powerlink spokeswoman said the goal was to “identify the corridor that has the least overall impact from a social, environmental and economic perspective”.

“Under State and Federal Government planning and approval frameworks, a wide range of criteria must be considered,” she said.

“We believe the recommended corridors for the project best balance all of these important considerations.”

She said Powerlink was talking with landowners within the proposed corridor to further refine the potential impact, and a new compensation payment which “significantly boosts payments” to landholders hosting lines.

“It is also the only payment framework within Australia to offer payments to landholders with properties adjacent to new transmission infrastructure,” the spokeswoman said.