About the Capricornia Energy Hub

The proposed Capricornia Energy Hub is one of the largest renewable energy projects in Northern Australia and encompasses a pumped-hydro electric scheme, wind farm and solar farm.

Located on Widi Country, approximately 80km west of Mackay in the Eungella Hinterland, it is a 1.4GW energy hub that, when fully operational, will deliver dispatchable green energy into the grid to power 1.5 million Queensland homes.

Ideally located in North Queensland Renewable Energy Zone, the project will also include four water reservoirs, connecting waterways, two powerhouses and 20 km of new transmission lines. It is ideally located in the North Queensland Renewable Energy Zone and close to existing energy infrastructure.

The Hub is expected to be operating by 2028 and will bring sustainable industry and employment to the region.

More than 600 people will be employed during construction and 90 jobs will be created during operation.

Once complete, the Hub will deliver 20% of Queensland’s 2030 Renewable Energy Target.

Progress and Timeline

Capricornia Energy Hub is the largest renewable baseload energy project in Northern Australia. It is a 1.4GW renewable and energy storage project that will provide renewable energy for Central and North Queensland with a pumped hydro-electric scheme, wind farm, solar farm and a hydrogen electrolyser to support export scale hydrogen production.

2022

Prefeasibity

2023-24

Feasibility Study

2024-25

RC, ECI, EPBC and Financial Close

Construction

Frequently Asked Questions

Who did your environmental studies and when did they start?

Initial environmental and field studies for the purposes of completing our Business Case and Conceptual Design and Prefeasibility Study have been completed and commenced as part of the former Urannah Project footprint approximately 3 years ago. However, new environmental, field and technical studies will be completed as part of the new Coordinated Project process and Environmental Approvals for the Capricornia Energy Hub.

What are the approvals processed for each part of the Hub?

The Capricornia Energy Hub will be assessed under the Queensland Government Coordinated Project and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process and through a referral to the Federal Government under the Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.

The local community, general public and stakeholders will have numerous occasions to provide formal and informal feedback. We will notify the local community as the project progresses on calls for formal submissions, with the first official call for public submission when the Initial Advice Statement (IAS) is lodged with the Queensland Government and put out for public consultation in the form of Draft of Terms of Reference.

The fact sheet on the Queensland Government process can be found here: https://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/32222/eis-fact-sheet.pdf

Are wind turbines built to withstand cyclones?

Wind Turbines are designed with a mechanism to ensure they switch off when wind speeds become too fast. In addition, the concrete base of the turbine is built in accordance with Australian Government standards on cyclone resilience. In Queensland, Wind turbines have maintained their structural integrity through Category 5 cyclones and with wind speeds of over 285 km/hour.

Do you have support from the Traditional Owners?

The project footprint is on Widi Country. We reached and signed an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) with the Widi people in last 2022 and the ILUA has now been formally registered.

We will continue to work with Widi as the project progresses.

What is the noise limit for wind turbines?

Wind Farms are assessed under State Code 23 (Queensland Government) which dictates a noise limit maximum of 37dB(A)* during the day and 35dB(A)* at night. As an example comparison, bird calls are around 44 decibels, noise in a library is 40 decibels and a quiet rural area is around 30 decibels.