Bill Greer, Petra van Beek are part of community’s voice on Borumba hydro dam plan

A 19-member stakeholder group has been revealed as the community’s voice as the State investigates building a major renewable hub in the Mary Valley with the potential to create thousands of jobs. See who the members are.

Environment and business groups from across the Mary Valley, Gympie and the Sunshine Coast have been revealed as the community voices on plans to build a multi-billion dollar pumped hydro dam near Imbil.

A statement from the Energy Minister Mick DeBrenni’s office has named the 19 groups involved in helping to steer the proposed dam, which Mr DeBrenni said had the potential to create 2000 construction jobs.

The State has invested $22 million to investigate the feasibility of building the dam at the popular Mary valley tourist spot.

But it would only work if the community was on board.

“For this project to be a success, before it can power homes, communities and industries we need to hear from locals who know their land, their communities, their environment and their industries the best,” Mr de Brenni said in the statement.

Borumba Dam has been earmarked as the potential home for a new pumped hydro power plant as part of the State Government’s renewable energy push, but Minister Mick de Brenni said the plan would only work if the community was on board.

“The Borumba Pumped Hydro Project Stakeholder Reference Group will be critical to achieving outcomes for the community and Queensland, including on issues that have emerged as fundamental to building social licence for the project – that there are no impacts to environmental low flows, there is no off-river storage infrastructure on the Mary River, the economic viability of the project and a lasting community legacy.”

Members of the group include: Mary River Catchment Co-ordinating Committee, represented by Ian Mackay; Sunshine Coast Environment Council, represented by Narelle McCarthy; Wide Bay Burnett Environmental Council, represented by David Arthur; Queensland Conservation Council, represented by Dave Copeman; Gympie District Beef Liaison Group, represented by Graeme Elphinstone; Gympie Chamber of Commerce, represented by Petra Van Beek; Regional Development Australia – Wide Bay Burnett, represented by Sotera Trevaskis; Lake Borumba Fish Stocking Association represented by Ian Stehben, Don MacAulay, and Gary Rozynski; Imbil Rural Watch represented by police Sergeant Bill Greer; Mary Valley Chamber of Commerce; and the Queensland Council of Unions.

The group will meet every three months.

Originally published as Bill Greer, Petra van Beek are part of community’s voice on Borumba hydro dam plan