Smoky Creek Solar Power Station near Biloela approved by government

Central Queensland will be home to yet another green energy project with a new solar power station approved to be built south of Rockhampton.

Central Queensland is continuing to cement itself as a renewables powerhouse with yet another green energy project given the green light.

An application by Edify Energy through the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act was recently approved by Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek for the Smoky Creek Solar Power Station near Biloela.

Located about 75km south of Rockhampton and 40km north of Biloela, the project will include a number of solar panels, a battery energy storage system, substation, new overhead powerlines and transmission infrastructure, as well as site buildings and storage areas.

The power station will then feed into the Powerlink Queensland Calvale to Stanwell 275kV transmission lines.

Once construction on the facility is complete, it is expected to generate up to 1,194,000 MWh per annum of renewable energy, which is enough to power more than 200,000 households.

It is also expected to help save 995,200 tonnes of CO2 per year.

The new facility will also generate hundreds of jobs, with about 350 people expected to be employed during peak construction.

Most of these workers will include local contractors.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said projects such as the Smoky Creek Solar Power Station were important to the goal of reaching net zero by 2050.

“Australia can be a renewable energy superpower, and projects like this help us get there. We have the right conditions, the technology, and the passion to make the most of these opportunities. It will help transform our economy and better protect our environment,” she said.

“We know renewable energy is cheaper, cleaner and crucial to helping us cut emissions and reach our goal of net zero by 2050.

“Australians elected a government committed to action on climate change – and that’s what we’re doing. I’m proud to have already doubled the rate of renewable energy approvals, with a record number of projects in the pipeline.

“We’re making clear to industry that the decade of stalling and denial when it comes to the opportunities of renewables is over.”

However, grazier Cedric Creed has not been as glowing in his comments.

Mr Creed spent six years writing more than 350 letters to all levels of government, including political decision-makers and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, arguing against the Smoky Creek Solar Power Station.

He said the project would have “detrimental effects” on the surrounding farmland.

“All of our stock water is surface water, which will all run off that site,” he said.

“If we have a huge rain event, the silt is going to leak straight into our dams and affect our water supply.

“If there’s a hailstorm and they get smashed, the poisons in the panels end up in our stock water.”

Mr Creed said a group of farmers in the area, known as the “ten food producers of Smoky Creek” had been advocating for the Queensland Government to reconsider its approval for the solar farm, to no avail.