06 Oct 70 Percent of Queensland’s Energy to be Renewable by 2032
This new goal adds an extra 20 percent to the previous goal of 50 percent renewables.
This new plan will deliver $365 million for Central Queensland Grid Reinforcement. This will make up the Gladstone Region’s section of the Queensland SuperGrid, which includes the poles, wires, solar, wind, and storage that will provide Central Queenslanders with clean, reliable, and affordable power.
To build this grid, Queensland will need to employ thousands of workers. To help boost this, the Queensland Government will be building a transmission and training hub in Gladstone, as well as one in Townsville, that will support 570 workers each year. This means more opportunities locally, allowing local kids to expand on their skills while staying within their communities.
The Member for Gladstone and Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing Glenn Butcher, said that this will open the door for opportunities in a range of industries.
“The Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan is all about a future of cheaper, cleaner and secure energy for Queenslanders, powering good jobs in new regional industries,” he said.
“This Energy Plan is the result of a lot of hard work and consideration by the Queensland Government. It doesn’t mean the end of jobs in CQ, instead it’s a jobs revolution. Existing industry is certainly in support, in fact Stanwell, ACCIONA Energia, Alpha HPA, Orica and Rio Tinto were signatories on a statement of cooperation, locking in that they will partner with the Queensland Government ‘to work towards a common vision for the evolution of Central Queensland into a zero net emissions industrial and manufacturing powerhouse.’
“Regional Queensland is at the centre of this clean energy revolution, with 100,000 new jobs to be unlocked through the rollout. Those jobs will be in hydrogen, renewables, manufacturing and critical minerals.”
Gladstone is already on track to be a green energy powerhouse, with Fortescue Future Industries and Alpha HPA setting up in the Gladstone state development area.
The Queensland Government will also be making a $200 million down-payment to the Regional Economic Futures Fund. This will support work within local communities to develop regional economic futures strategies for Gladstone and surrounding areas. Existing coal-fired power stations will progressively become clean energy hubs from 2027.
Existing infrastructure at the clean energy hubs will include: continuing the use of the large spinning turbines at power stations to provide strength for the energy system, grid-scale batteries, gas (and later) hydrogen power stations, and maintenance hubs for nearby hubs for government-owned renewable wind and solar farms.
There are also several clean energy projects underway and planned for the Gladstone Region:
- Hydrogen Park Gladstone by AGIC
- CleanCo agreement with Sumitomo Corporation and its consortium partners
- Fortescue Future Industries’ Hydrogen Equipment Manufacturing Hub
- Gladstone Biofuel Refinery by Oceania Biofuels with Economic Development Queensland
- Gladstone Energy and Ammonia Project by Australian Future Energy
- H2-Hub TM Gladstone by The Hydrogen Utility Pty Ltd (H2U)
- International renewables company Acciona’s Aldoga Solar Farm with Economic Development Queensland
- CQ-H2 Renewable Hydrogen facility by Stanwell Corporation and Iwatani consortium of Australian and international partners
- High purity alumina industrial plant by AlphaHPA
