A thousand jobs expected as CopperString kicks off

Over a thousand jobs are expected to come to North Queensland once CopperString starts building, with an influx of apprentices also hitting the ground. LATEST >>

Powerlink Queensland chief executive Paul Simshauser talks about job numbers and timeframes of the Copperstring project with employee Chris Garlick. Picture: Chris Burns

The economic impacts of the CopperString project are beginning to flow into the North Queensland economy, with 35 new employees having started work at company Powerlink.

Powerlink’s chief executive Paul Simshauser said a 22 person team would also be based in Townsville from this week to support and train these new apprentices and graduates from across Queensland.

“We’ve got a pretty big bunch of excited engineers and we’re attracting some pretty good people from around the world,” he said.

“It’s a pretty well known project as it turns out, we’ve got people joining us from the United States, from Europe.

“There’s something about big projects, they attract some very good people and we’ve obviously put that to good use.”

For now the workers will be based at a training centre in Bohle, but will be transferred to a new 10 hectare training hub at the Cleveland Bay Industrial Park.

Mr Simshauser said $450m was budgeted to be spent this financial year, but that “boots on the ground” to set up work camps and access trails for workers should begin in about six months.

Powerlink Queensland chief executive Paul Simshauser said the “mega project” was attracting international interest, particularly from the United States and from Europe. Picture: Chris Burns

He said that work on the “hard assets” of the transmission line itself was scheduled to begin after next year’s wet season.

Mr Simshauser said 120 employees would directly work on the Copperstring project with up to another 1000 people expected to be contracted on the construction.

The $5b transmission line spanning 840km from Mount Isa to Townsville is described as a “mega project” and would be the largest that Powerlink has been involved in.

“You can’t just scale up what you’ve been doing, we’ve had to think pretty differently and make sure we organise ourselves that we are confident we can deliver,” he said.

He said there were currently expressions of interest for 50 different work packages for businesses to be able to meet the needs of the project, which would have a flow-on effect throughout the North Queensland economy.

Mr Simshauser said examples of required goods and services ranged from “packed lunches, snakebite kits all the way through to earthmovers.”

450 businesses had so applied to service these needs but Mr Simshauser said the company hoped for a total 600.

“Of those 450 businesses there’s about 10 to 15 per cent headquartered in Townsville, and 90 per cent have got an office in Queensland, so that’s pretty good representation and that will obviously have a flow on effect,” he said.

Energy Minister Mick de Brenni toured the training hub in Bohle yesterday, and announced that new Powerlink employees would include 24 apprentices and 11 graduates.

He would then be visiting construction sites along the transmission line to Mount Isa and to meet with local mayors.

“This is a huge year for CopperString and Townsville and the North Queensland community, with the benefits of the Queensland SuperGrid already starting to show,” he said.

Mines Minister Scott Stewart said that CopperString was more than a “game changer.”

“It is the game, because we know the significance of this project will bring to North Queensland to unlock the potential to harness that renewable energy is actually going to reshape what north Queensland looks like,” he said.

“The people of Townsville all the way to Mount Isa, they get it, they understand the importance of this.”

Originally published as A thousand jobs expected as CopperString kicks off