Queensland Government’s new energy plan key for North Queensland’s renewable future
CopperString has reached a major milestone as Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk reaffirmed the government support for the project. Read the latest on the project.
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COPPERSTRING has reached a major milestone with the approval of its Environmental Impact Statement as Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk reaffirmed the government support for the project.
The CopperString 2.0 project is a high-voltage transmission network that will connect Mount Isa and the North West Minerals Province to the National Electricity Grid near Townsville.
While there were concerns raised about the timeline following the government’s energy plan, CopperString proponent CuString’s managing director Joseph O’Brien said if all approvals went to plan, the project would break ground this year or early 2023.
He said CuString was working with the government on the delivery and ownership models for CopperString.
In the Queensland Energy Plan, the state made it clear it was working towards a government-led model for the connection to Mount Isa and the North West Minerals Province. However, Mr O’Brien said the projects would work together.
He added the role of private investors in CopperString could be complemented or replaced by the government.
“The government is certainly wanting to take a leading role in the ownership of the CopperString transmission network,” he said.
“Major common use transmission is fundamental of Queensland economic infrastructure and if the government is willing to provide the capital to make that investment, that is good for Queensland.”
Mr O’Brien said the Premier was clear that broader issue was in growing Queensland’s production and export of minerals and the energy plan helped make that possible.
“We are an economic development initiative of reforming North and North West Queensland, the Energy Plan is a lot about how we transition from coal to renewables and it’s an important linkage to CopperString,” he said.
“CopperString has always been about how we unlock a huge amount of economic development potential from a region that is currently isolated form the grid, it’s a broader objective than just electricity.”
The CopperString project got the tick of approval by the Queensland Co-ordinator General on Wednesday.
“The approved EIS and the Co-ordinator General’s recommendations have now been referred to the Australian government for its approval and development approvals under the Queensland Planning Act,” he said.
What the state’s new energy plan means for NQ
NORTH Queensland is primed to reap the rewards of the Queensland Energy Plan with the region a cornerstone of the new Super Grid that will connect renewable projects across the state.
This year, the government will begin work on connecting transmission between Hughenden and Townsville which is expected to kickstart the Super Grid that is tipped to deliver a $740bn resources boom for the state.
The Queensland Energy Plan goals include hitting a new, higher renewable energy target of 70 per cent by 2032.
However, the push towards the renewable target also came with the caveat that the state’s reliance on coal would be stopped by 2035.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said this would be “done in a measured way”.
“We won’t convert coal power stations until there is replacement firmed generation,” she said.
“We will keep our coal fired power stations as back up capacity until replacement pumped hydro energy storage is operational.
“We will be able to turn the stations back on if something goes wrong.”
As part of the energy plan, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the new Super Grid would connect solar, wind, battery and hydrogen generators across the state.
“The super grid brings together all of the elements in the electricity system with the poles and wires that provide Queenslanders with clean, reliable and affordable power for generations,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“That super grid delivers around 1500 kilometres of transmission lines from Brisbane up to North Queensland and out west to Hughenden.”
It will eventually extend to Mount Isa.
The state government will look at opportunities to work with the federal government on the project.
She also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to CopperString 2.0, which will work along side the state’s transmission project.
“We’re taking CopperString to the next stage with a $1 billion commitment to develop the North West Minerals Province to supply the critical minerals needed for renewables manufacturing,” the Premier said.
“And this plan will see the development of a clean energy hub in Collinsville and also comes with a workforce guarantee.”
Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith said the Super Grid blueprint had the scheduled start for CopperString 2.0 at 2033.
Ms Brumme-Smith said the commitment to the project was positive, but the project needed to be fast-tracked.
“CopperString has been in the pipeline for over a decade and waiting more than another decade will significantly inhibit and crowd out private investment in green energy and will stall our progress towards a net zero processing and manufacturing hub here in Townsville,” said Mrs Brumme-Smith.
“We urge the Premier to fast-track CopperString and open up the billions of dollars of private investment and the 33GW of clean, affordable, and reliable energy, which will provide the critical minerals used in electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines.”
The Premier also announced $90m for two regional transmission and training hub, with one to be in Townsville.
Resources Minister and Townsville MP Scott Stewart said this project would work in with the region’s refining and export capability and help create more local jobs in the industry supply chains.
“Our proud mining heritage will continue to grow as we meet the increased demand for critical minerals, batteries and components both here and abroad,” he said.
“The North West Minerals Province is home to vast amounts of nickel, cobalt, vanadium and zinc, and it’s our workforce that will make the most of the opportunity.”
He said most of the mining activity across the state consumes 20 per cent of Queensland’s electricity, yet most operate off the grid through gas and diesel generation.
“Access to the national electricity market will mean lower energy costs for large mining and industrial operations which typically pay higher electricity prices than their grid-connected competitors,” he said.
Solar Citizens’ deputy director Stephanie Gray said this was a significant step towards unlocking renewable energy, bringing down power bill and making it competitive for new clean manufacturing industries.
She said the plan to expand the transmission between Hughenden and Townsville would unlock some of the country’s best co-located solar and wind resources.
“There are three major proposals to develop renewable hydrogen in Townsville and powering those alone will require gigawatts of new clean generation capacity,” Ms Gray said.
“Projects like the proposed 1,000MW Mount James wind farm and later stages of the Kennedy Energy Park require these grid upgrades to proceed.
“All of this local clean energy activity will make it more attractive for investors to look to North Queensland to expand local minerals processing and start manufacturing clean technology, like battery materials and solar panels.
“The Southern Queensland to Central Queensland upgrade will also benefit North Queensland because it will allow more energy from the north to flow down south.”
Burdekin MP Dale Last has called for more detail on the plan, saying residents “need and deserve” more information.
“The Premier’s announcement yesterday was big on talk but lacking in the detail that people throughout regional Queensland need and deserve. That lack of detail will have people questioning whether this announcement is actually about diverting attention away from the Labor government’s failure,” Mr Last said.
“Several of the statements the Premier made also illustrate how out of touch the Premier is with the issues we face in regional Queensland. The Premier refers to the Bruce Highway as the backbone of the state when, in fact, her own government has stood by while abandoned projects put road users at risk.”
He added the Premier spoke about affordable power, but for years the government had “consistently refused to implement” Queensland Competition Authority recommendations that would lead to cheaper electricity in the regions.
“The Premier talks about generating electricity in regional Queensland but won’t guarantee the people in those areas won’t pay more than people in the South East,” he said.
“It’s all well and good to talk about new pumped hydro projects but, for years now, the Labor state government has failed to act on the Burdekin Falls Dam. Report after report has been done but nothing has come out of them yet we are supposed to believe that a massive project will be built from scratch in 10 years.”
He said the Premier had guaranteed jobs for workers at coal fired power stations, but there was no guarantee for workers in the mines where the coal was produced.
“Every person who works in a coal mine in Queensland, their families and every small business owner in coal mining towns deserves answers from the Premier.”
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