Multimillion-dollar hydro project mooted for Gympie region

A popular Gympie region waterhole has reportedly been identified as the possible home for a major renewable energy project

The state government is exploring the possibility of building a pumped hydro-electric plant at Borumba Dam. Photo: File

Borumba Dam could soon be joining Queensland’s electricity grid as the state government investigates whether the popular tourist waterhole could become the home of a pumped hydro-electricity plant.

Seqwater has reportedly completed a pre-feasibility study for such a project and provided it to the Queensland Government for further evaluation.

Pumped hydro plants generate electricity by allowing water from elevated dams to run downhill through a turbine to a lower dam.

This water is then pumped back up to the main dam and the process is repeated.

The Age newspaper reported Borumba was one of two possible sites for a hydro dam identified in a study, while the other was in North Queensland.

However it’s believed Borumba Dam presented the better option.

Seqwater has reportedly completed a pre-feasibility study into a hydro-electricity project at Borumba Dam.

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The dam had been identified in 2017 as a suitable site for a 1000-megawatt pumped hydro project by University of Queensland Professor Simon Bartlett.

In an interview with The Age, Professor Bartlett said the dam’s proximity to the main north-south transmission line would make it relatively cheap to connect to the main electrical grid.

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“Not only is it a good pumped storage site, it is also Seqwater’s main option for increasing water supply for the Sunshine Coast, so you could get a win-win there,” he told The Age.

The dam was identified in 2017 as a possible home for a 1000-megawatt pumped hydro plant by UQ Professor Simon Bartlett.

A response from a spokeswoman for Energy Minister Mick de Brenni, reported in the paper, did not go into any specifics about plans for the dam, but only stated that “we are developing a hydro study to search for the best location to create more cleaner, cheaper energy for Queenslanders”.

The proposal has been championed by renewable energy group Solar Citizens.

“It’s been almost four years since the Queensland Government promised to undertake research on possible pumped hydro locations across the state and we’re still waiting to see the results,” SC’s Stephanie Gray said.

“It’s great to finally see evidence that this work is progressing.

“Queenslanders are world leaders in the uptake of rooftop solar. Now we need to get serious about adding more storage, like batteries and pumped hydro, so we can utilise this abundant and cheap solar energy around the clock.”

Originally published as Multimillion-dollar hydro project mooted for Gympie region