Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro renewables project spends $111m buying properties, studies
Steven Miles has been grilled over the use of taxpayer cash to buy properties for up to 50 per cent above market value for a renewables project that may never go ahead.
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The state government has spent more than $111m buying properties and doing technical studies for a renewable energy project that has no business case, is not backed by the opposition, and is vehemently opposed by locals.
The remarkable outlay for the Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro project was revealed in answer to a question from the opposition, but the government has refused to say how much of the $111m had been used to buy homes and if they had paid over market rates.
Premier Steven Miles has defended the state government’s decision to splash taxpayer cash buying up properties for a renewable energy project that may never go ahead.
Residents in the area – about 70km west of Mackay – say Queensland Hydro has been offering up to 50 per cent above market value for land, with some owners being offered up to $2m for small 1.2ha properties.
Mr Miles, speaking in Rockhampton on Tuesday, confirmed the last he was briefed about 40 properties had been purchased for the project - though the cost of buying them was not disclosed.
Mr Miles said the state government had always planned to have a program available for land holders who wanted to sell off their home to authorities early.
“We said from day one, that if there are landholders who wanted their property acquired early that we would have a program and funding available to do that,” he said.
“We wanted to ensure throughout this process, that we minimise the distress of landholders.
“For some of them that means waiting until final decisions are made and the last possible moment that their property can be acquired. But for others they might have health reasons, they might be at a certain stage of life, all of the uncertainty might be causing them distress.”
Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie blasted the state government for buying up properties on a project with no business case.
He likened it to the state government’s “Traveston Dam 2.0” referencing the botched water project to dam near Mary River that was ultimately kiboshed by the federal government over environmental concerns.
“The Labor government have completely botched this project,” Mr Bleijie said.
“This project has never had the Opposition’s support because it’s never had a business case, it’s never financially stacked up.”
It comes after The Courier-Mail revealed the project – which had an initial estimate of $12bn – could end up costing taxpayers as much as $18bn, with Premier Steven Miles admitting the cost could not be confirmed.
A grassroots campaign to stop the project cutting through the picturesque Pioneer Valley near Eungella – a world-renowned platypus habitat – has also been launched, with a GoFundMe page and merchandise for sale.
About 50 properties were expected to be resumed should the project go ahead.
The project – which the government’s own website says “is still undergoing initial investigations” – will also impact on the local platypus population, with the area dubbed the “platypus capital of the world”.
Energy Minister Mick de Brenni refused to answer more detailed questions.
Instead, a spokeswoman said: “Acquisition values are a private, confidential matter between landholders and Queensland Hydro, and the release of individual costings would compromise confidentiality.
“The Miles government has spent more than $111m on the project to date, including for geotechnical and environmental field studies, front end engineering and design, stakeholder engagement services and where requested by the landholder, land acquisitions.
“There is no compulsory land acquisition, and land access is negotiated between the land owner and Queensland Hydro.”
LNP energy spokeswoman Deb Frecklington accused the government of “keeping Queenslanders in the dark” about the cost of the project.
“At a time when Queenslanders are struggling to pay their power bills, the Palaszczuk-Miles government has splurged more than $111m on a project that could balloon upwards of $18bn,” she said.
“The LNP’s priority is delivering affordable, reliable and sustainable energy, while Labor is secretly signing away cheques on a hydro hoax that will see Queenslanders foot the bill for generations to come.
“Already more than $111m has already been spent on a project with no business case or environmental impact statement.”
Mr Miles was met with a fiery reception last month in Eungella, where he apologised to residents for how the project had been communicated to them.
Locals first learnt of the plans in 2022 at the same time as the public, with some simply getting letters that their home might be acquired.
Mr Miles also said the cost of the project would likely be upwards of the initial $12bn estimate.
“We have … indicated that since that costing was released the cost of everything has gone up, particularly the cost of building materials,” he said.
“And clearly there will be a lot of building materials in a project of this size.
“So we do expect that cost will have increased.”
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