Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project near Townsville hits construction milestone: Genex Power
A revolutionary North Queensland renewable energy project that will be able to power Townsville for eight hours every day has reached a major new milestone.
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A revolutionary North Queensland renewable energy project that will be able to power Townsville for eight hours every day has reached a major new milestone.
Genex Power CEO James Harding said on Sunday that the 250MW Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project north-west of Townsville was over halfway through construction.
“We’re progressing very well here with underground construction works and will complete the underground works by the end of this year.”
This achievement marks an important step forward in the development of this transformative North Queensland infrastructure that will not only revolutionize the energy landscape but also contribute to easing the cost of living for Queenslanders.
Pumped hydro is a proven technology that combines cutting-edge engineering with renewable energy principles, enabling efficient storage of cheap excess energy during times of low demand and releasing it back into the grid during peak hours, putting downward pressure on prices.
The $777m Kidston Clean Energy Hub, located on the site of the disused Kidston gold mine, also integrates a 50MW solar farm, which has been generating power since 2017, and a 258MW wind farm that is still in the development phase.
Mr Harding thanked the Queensland Government for co-funding support for the needed Powerlink transmission line from Mount Fox in Hinchinbrook Shire to Kidston.
“Here at Kidston in North Queensland, we’ll have the trifecta of solar, wind and large-scale storage all in the same place.”
Resources Minister Scott Stewart said the project would connect to the Queensland SuperGrid, “meaning that Townsville can capture, send, store, and use the cheap wind and solar from out west when we need it most”.
“This is just the beginning of a new era in North Queensland’s industrial future, with more jobs, supply chain contracts, cheap renewable energy, critical minerals mining, and a manufacturing boom that our investment in CopperString 2032 will deliver,” the member for Townsville said.
“Our Queensland Energy and Jobs plan could create 64,000 jobs from building the SuperGrid including direct and indirect jobs by 2040 as well as 36,000 more jobs in key sectors of the economy, especially critical minerals mining.”
Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper said hub was creating 900 jobs and would “help to put downward pressure on energy prices”.
“Local companies are also already benefitting from these mega renewable energy projects in our backyard and the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan will create thousands more for our region.”
Mick de Brenni, minister for energy, renewables and hydrogen, said renewable energy also needed to be reliable.
“Which is why pumped hydro energy storage like this Kidston project in North Queensland is so important to our energy security and putting downward pressure on energy costs,” he said.
“This is the first pumped hydro energy storage project to be delivered in the nation in around 40 years, the last one was Wivenhoe in Queensland, and it was the Palaszczuk Government who kick started it with a $147 million injection.”
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Originally published as Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project near Townsville hits construction milestone: Genex Power
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