Mount Isa Mayor Peter Macrae concerned city will never be connected to NEM without Copperstring

Mount Isa leaders fear the isolated town may never be connected to the grid if the Townsville to Hughenden leg of Copperstring is built first due to cost blowout concerns. Here’s why.

Map of the proposed Copperstring transmission line. The Reid River realignment highlighted in red.

Mount Isa leaders fear the isolated town may never be connected to the grid if the Townsville to Hughenden leg of Copperstring is built first.

The project has been under intense scrutiny since the LNP came into government with multiple cost blow outs bringing its future into question.

Chief Executive Officer of Powerlink Paul Simshauser at the official opening of the Copperstring Experience Centre. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Now, Powerlink chief executive Paul Simshauser has urged the state government to revise the project’s work schedule, the Australian Financial Review has reported.

He told the publication that instead of starting the build at Hughenden and building west, the project should begin in Townsville.

“Our preference will always be to start and extend from the shared network on the grounds of efficiency. It enables us to energise faster so we’re able to connect generators quicker and keep extending from there,” he said.

Cost blowouts were revealed in 2024 when Mr Simshauser said cultural finds and the ruggedness of the territory had forced realignments of the transition line.

Mount Isa City Council Mayor Peta MacRae at APA's Dugald River Solar Farm which puts 88mw into the North West Grid – the large majority of the power goes to the Dugald River Mine.

However, Mount Isa Mayor Peta Macrae believes a change to the build schedule could lead to her city losing the opportunity to be connected to the National Electricity Market.

“Obviously we don’t want the project scrapped due to the cost blowout,” she said.

“The worry is it will get as far as Hughenden and the cost will blow out and then it will never get to Mount Isa and we need those jobs … nothing kills projects like uncertainty.”

“Copperstring is such an important project for our area and for unlocking industry and we have the most expensive power in the country, and several of the projects that we’ve got upcoming will be at risk if it doesn’t happen..”

The Diamantina Power Station, the city’s only power source, is run by APA Group.

Chief Executive of APA Adam Watson said the economics of Copperstring were “horrendous”, the AFR reported.

“A project that was initially going to cost less than $2bn is close to $10bn, potentially taking a transmission line to a region that already has sufficient renewable power generation on site.”

Flinders Shire Mayor Kate Peddle.

Flinders Shire Mayor Kate Peddle said the project was “worth every penny”.

She said it was unsurprising that Mr Watson would speak negatively of the project, saying it did not align with their business interests.

“At one end of this corridor, we have a significant minerals province, and at the other a thriving port for processing and export. Yet there is no existing transmission line connecting these vital points,” Cr Peddle said.

“This project is about building the infrastructure that will unlock the full potential of our region.

“It’s an economic development investment that will generate wealth for generations to come, and it’s worth every penny.”

The Copperstring plan which is significant for North West Minerals Province.

But Cr McRae said without Copperstring, Mount Isa remains isolated.

“And, you know, when it’s dark in Brisbane at five o’clock, we can still be pumping out solar in Mount Isa. That won’t happen without Copperstring,” she said.

“If they could guarantee that it comes all the way to Mount Isa and we’re still electrified by 2029, at a better price for the taxpayer, then obviously we’re going to be supportive of that.

“We’re not going to be supportive of something that’s going to take a lot longer, prolonged projects and prolonged jobs for our community, because this is the time that we need the most help.”

The state government has remained supportive of the project, but is currently in the middle of reviewing it.

In November, Treasurer and Energy Minister David Janetzki said it was “all hands on deck to save Copperstring”.

Originally published as Mount Isa Mayor Peter Macrae concerned city will never be connected to NEM without Copperstring