Bowen River Utilities mega project wants to avoid Qld ‘green tape’

A trillion-litre dam, irrigation scheme renewable energy hub is planned for Queensland, and the State Government has been asked to please do nothing.

The Queensland company behind a billion-dollar mega dam and renewable energy project has asked the Federal Government to chip in money, but in an unorthodox move has made one cashless request of the state – to stay out of the way.

The Bowen River Utilities company has also bemoaned the bureaucratic “green tape” behind $2 million expenditure on paperwork and waiting times of four months to get approvals meant to take 20 days.

However it is unlikely things will get easier, with the State and Federal governments indicating an appetite for sticking to business as usual.

The project by Bowen River Utilities has three parts; the nearly trillion-litre Urannah Dam, the Collinsville Irrigation Scheme, and a 1.4GW renewable energy hub slated to be the largest baseload project in Northern Australia.

An estimated 1200 jobs will be created during construction of the project southwest of Collinsville, with another 650 jobs needed during operation.

The company, as per its latest budget submission, applied for $483 million in federal cash through the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund.

Instead of asking the state to chip in the other 50 per cent of funding needed, the company will secure the rest from the private market.

Urannah Creek, site of the proposed Urannah Dam, west of Mackay

Its one request of the State Government – which holds a monopoly on Queensland’s water market via SunWater – was not to throw any funding roadblocks its way.

Bowen River Utilities, in its submission, also wants environmental laws and approval processes streamlined in order to “remove the green tape stifling the construction of new infrastructure and economic growth”.

“We’re asking for both sides of politics to allow a transformative project in the Bowen Basin to provide sustainable energy and water for the jobs of the future,” managing director John Cotter said.

Queensland Water Minister Glenn Butcher said the Government “does not apologise for or step back from taking the time to ensure project proposals were well founded” and that it had the responsibility to ensure “assets do not become a drain on future generations”.

“The State Government is charged with the responsibility to ensure Queensland’s resources are used effectively, for the benefit of the whole state,” he said.

A spokesman for federal Infrastructure Minister Barnaby Joyce said state and territory governments were responsible for water resources, from regulation all the way to allocation.

“We encourage the private sector to continue working with state and territory governments to progress priority water infrastructure,” he said.