Queensland has to reduce emissions by 75% in 2035: Is it possible without pumped hydro?

Opposition leader David Crisafulli has emphatically rejected the plans to build the Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro. But the Miles government claims it’s the only way to meet targets on time.

Both leaders agree with the need to reduce emissions by 75% by 2035 — but we’re yet to see how the LNP would achieve it

Queensland LNP leader David Crisafulli has doubled down on the opposition’s rejection of the Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro scheme, saying it has not had their support “since day one”.

But given that Queensland has now locked in legislated emissions reduction targets of 75% by 2035, it’s unclear how a future LNP government would meet them without large-scale renewable energy storage.

For Mr Crisafulli, Pioneer-Burdekin as the centrepiece of the government’s energy transition “defied logic” without planning approval, environmental assessments, and costings.

“The fact that the government has pinned all of their hopes on that is the reason why we couldn’t support the renewable energy targets that they were putting forward in the parliament last week,” he said.

Premier Stephen Miles made the trip to Eungella to meet with the public on the pumped hydro project. Photo: Fergus Gregg

Last week, the LNP backed the government’s 75% emissions reduction target for 2035, but wouldn’t commit to legislating a renewable energy target alongside it.

It remains to be seen how one could be achieved without the other.

Because Queensland still has a high amount of fossil fuels powering the grid, electricity generation accounts for almost 50% of the state’s carbon emissions, according to the latest figures in the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory.

Premier Steven Miles called on the LNP to share their alternative plan at a press conference in Mackay on Friday.

“David Crisafulli’s strong support for our emissions reductions target is welcome, but he opposed the plan to get there,” he said.

“He opposed the plan to meet that target and so he needs to outline to Queenslanders what his plan is to meet the 75% reduction target, emissions reduction target that he supported, that he has personally signed the LNP up to.”

Cartoon by Harry Bruce

There is strong local opposition to the pumped-hydro plans for Pioneer-Burdekin, particularly around its impact to the environment.

But according to the Queensland Government’s Hydro Studies Report, it is the only ‘feasible’ way to meet emissions reduction targets, and turn off coal fired power by 2035.

Nuclear, one of the few remaining non-fossil fuel options, would be prohibitively expensive, according to the CSIRO GenCost report cited in the study.

Because of Pioneer-Burdekin’s sheer size and storage capacity, the alternatives include either 70 smaller pumped hydro sites, three large pumped hydro sites, or 740 Hornsdale-sized big battery builds.

This graph, from the Queensland Hydro Studies, shows the relative electricity storage of batteries and large-scale pumped hydro.

What the report did not include was the detail on which large-scale sites were rejected, sparking fury from locals who believe there were better alternatives.

Queensland Hydro is currently undertaking the Pioneer-Burdekin detailed environmental impact report, due to be passed to the government in June. The project was announced by the Miles government before those studies were completed.

The Daily Mercury asked Mr Crisafulli and the LNP how it plans on meeting the 75% emissions reduction target without relying on pumped-hydro schemes, and Pioneer-Burdekin in particular.

We did not receive a response prior to publication.