Mackay Regional Council to meet with Queensland Hydro chief executive
A regional mayor says a meeting with a multibillion-dollar hydro project’s chief executive is a good first step but there’s “a lot more water to go under the bridge yet”.
Mackay
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Civic leaders are hoping a meeting with a multi-billion dollar pumped hydro project’s chief executive will fill in the blanks on what impact it will have on the Mackay community.
This comes as Pioneer Valley landholders speak out against the scheme and offers of compensation.
Energy authorities involved in the $12bn state government renewable energy project reached out to Mackay Regional Council after a push from Mayor Greg Williamson.
Queensland Hydro’s chief executive will today brief the council about the scheme.
“We hope to be much better informed about the whole project and its impact,” Cr Williamson said.
“We want to know specifics, we want to know the properties that are going to be affected.”
The Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hyrdo project, if it goes ahead, will include the relocation of 50 homes at Netherdale.
Cr Williamson said the council needed to know what interactions had been held with property owners and project time frame specifics.
“If there’s going to be a reconstruction of the road (it) may impact the operation of the mountain bike trail (or) tourism facilities,” he said.
“We can’t interact with the general public until we know the specifics about it.”
The project, 75km west of Mackay, outlines three dams including two upper reservoirs in the Burdekin catchment that feed into a lower reservoir below Netherdale.
Cr Williamson said Minister for Energy Mick de Brenni and his director general of energy Paul Martyn also made contact with plans to be in the region in the coming weeks to discuss the project.
“It was a good although belated result,” he said.
“I’m comfortable with the fact that government is going to include us now in answering the questions.”
But Cr Williamson said there was “a lot more water to go under the bridge yet” before the council could have a firm stance on the project.
“There’s a lot of people justifiably very cranky about having this dropped in everybody’s lap,” he said.
“I saw something written the other day, ‘It’s a bold vision for green energy in Queensland but there’s a lot of bare knuckle fighting to come from now on because nobody knows the details’.”
Queensland Hydro is holding a number of community drop-in sessions across the district with the first at the Finch Hatton RSL on Thursday, 3pm to 7pm.
A second will be held on October 13 at Eungella Broken River Resort and a third on October 14 at Mackay Split Spaces also 3pm to 7pm.
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