The Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro project is now entering its next phase, with publicly owned energy company Queensland Hydro confirming structurally solid granite throughout the project site.
To date, more than 50 boreholes have been drilled on the Queensland government’s signature energy project.
The Pioneer-Burdekin Project will store the excess energy collected from Australia’s world-leading levels of household solar, for use at night when the sun isn’t shining, the wind isn’t blowing and when energy usage is at its peak. It’s expected to support thousands of jobs and boost the local Mackay economy by billions of dollars.
Local company Twin Hills Engineering and Drilling – which is undertaking the works – estimates they are injecting more than $20,000 a week into the Mackay region through purchases relating to the project.
Additionally, independent modelling estimates Queensland’s north and outback regions will be boosted $240 billion, and 84,000 additional jobs if Queensland reaches NetZero by 2050.
The pumped-hydro project will also play a critical role in enabling Queensland to meet its legislated renewable energy and emissions reductions targets, with analysis by Queensland Hydro demonstrating it will directly avoid up to seven million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.
As a large-scale civil construction project, the majority of expenditure on Pioneer-Burdekin will go to Australian sourced labour and materials, directly benefiting the regional, Queensland and Australian economies.
Prospective suppliers are already gearing up to be part of this once-in-a-generation investment in the Mackay, Whitsundays and Issac regions, with nearly 600 Australian businesses, including over 60 from the local region, registering their interest in the project.
“My government is dedicated to delivering cheaper, cleaner energy, and our commitment to the Pioneer-Burdekin project is rock solid,” Premier Steven Miles said. “With every drill and borehole, Pioneer-Burdekin powers up more regional jobs for small businesses like Twin Hills Engineering and Drilling, with benefits to the community to continue for decades to come.
“This nation-leading project will ensure we lock in a clean economy future for Queensland’s industrial heartland.
“Reaching this 5km geotechnical milestone is proof that we’re not just planning for the future—we’re delivering it.”
Kieran Cusack, Queensland Hydro Chief Executive Officer said “This milestone represents critical progress in our understanding of the Pioneer-Burdekin Project site and will support a robust assessment of the project through the Detailed Analytical Report (DAR) which is due to the Queensland Government by the end of 2024.”
“I’d also like to thank and recognise the landowners in the project footprint who have granted access to their properties for this drilling to be undertaken, and to the surrounding communities who have supported our project team and contractor partners.”
“It is vital for important projects like the Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro Project to invest time and effort in the initial investigative studies to obtain the most detailed information possible, and to then use that information to prepare the best possible business case for decision-makers.”
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.