Renewable Energy Partners CEO Luke McDonald talks wind farm in Eungella

A renewable energy company has identified 15,000 hectares west of Mackay that lends itself to a massive wind farm, and has the potential to solve green energy’s reliability issues.

As energy prices skyrocket, a massive new wind farm near Eungella shows how Queensland could get to a more stable grid.

Renewable Energy Partners CEO Luke McDonald says his company has an option to lease land west of the Eungella Dam to build out the 15,000 hectare project, which could deliver 80 turbines generating 500MW and create up to 250 jobs during construction.

The 30-year operation would feed into the pumped hydro scheme proposed by Bowen River Utilities, the proponents of the mammoth $2.9bn Urannah project, combining with solar to ensure reliable power at all hours of the day.

“The intent will be that the pumped hydro, wind and solar are all connected behind the same connection point into the grid,” Mr McDonald said.

Renewable Energy Partners CEO Luke McDonald is excited about the scale of the proposed Eungella wind farm. Picture: Contributed

“The sun will shine during the day, the profile of the wind is it blows the strongest late afternoon into the evening and then the pumped hydro project is intended to fill the gaps when there is not as much sun or not as much wind by providing power into the grid to keep it stable.

“Having multiple technologies behind the one connection point provides you with a firmer product rather than just relying on a single technology.”

The project, which will be financed privately, is in the planning phase and the company will likely undergo the state and commonwealth approvals process in the current quarter.

Renewable Energy Partners hopes the Eungella wind farm will be co-developed alongside Bowen River Utilities’ pumped hydro scheme, which forms one part of the massive $2.9bn Urannah project. Picture: Contributed

“It is likely that the wind will be developed and come online earlier than the pumped hydro,” Mr McDonald said, adding the farm could stand on its own separate to Urannah.

Mr McDonald established Renewable Energy Partners six years ago and the company holds a development portfolio of wind, solar and pumped hydro projects.

Mr McDonald said the Mackay region’s topography made it an attractive destination for investment in wind power.

“It’s a great spot to be doing renewables,” he said.

“This project can go a long way to meeting the Queensland government’s stated objective of 50 per cent renewable generation by 2030.”