A new dam wall will be built immediately downstream from the current dam. Photo: Queensland Hydro.
Queensland Hydro has awarded $190 million of work for the design and engineering of the planned 2000MW renewable energy Borumba Pumped Hydro Project.
Located about 40 km south of Gympie and about 50 km west of Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, the project will see a new dam wall built immediately downstream from the existing wall to increase the capacity of the existing reservoir, and six new dam walls built to form a new upper reservoir south of the existing one.
An underground powerhouse will link the two reservoirs to enable water to be pumped from the lower one to the upper one. Water will then be released from the upper reservoir to drive turbines to generate electricity.
One work package has been awarded to Water2Wire JV – a joint venture between GHD, Mott MacDonald and Stantec – which will lead the engineering and design for the seven proposed dams.
An additional package of work will see an AFRY-Aurecon JV complete the front-end engineering design documentation, focusing on the technical elements of the pumped hydro scheme, including the interplay between the turbines, cavern design, tunnel waterway design, and other equipment.
A contract has also been awarded to Decmil to design and construct two temporary workers’ camps on the site, each capable of accommodating 336 workers, and with each containing a wellness room, gym, running track, social room and laundry.
Minister for Energy and Clean Economy Jobs Mick de Brenni said the work packages were a huge milestone for what he said was one of the most important renewable energy projects in Australia.
“This major milestone means we have awarded three major works packages to Queensland-based companies to take forward the design of the reservoirs and the powerhouse,” he said.
“We’re bringing together local knowledge and global expertise to deliver what will be a nation-defining project to provide cheaper, cleaner and more secure electricity to all Queenslanders.
“The transition to renewable energy will see millions of dollars in regional development and investment that will support local economies, provide opportunities for community infrastructure advancements and create thousands of jobs for Queenslanders.”
A graphic showing the new dam walls (in red) and location of the new upper reservoir. Image: Queensland Hydro.
Queensland Hydro CEO Kieran Cusack said pumped hydro was the right technology to enable Queensland’s clean-energy transition.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Australian and international experts with proven global experience that will be used to deliver the Borumba Project,” he said.
“They are aligned with our desire to deliver safe and reliable reservoirs and transformational long-duration pumped-hydro assets for Queensland.”
Mr Cusack said Queensland Hydro was aware of the potential disruption a project of this scale could have on small regional communities, and it was working with them to ensure minimal disruption.
“In developing our plans, we respect these communities and we are taking the lessons from other projects to ensure we are good neighbours,” he said. “A big part of this is minimising the impact on housing and roads near where we will operate.
“We want our workforce to be safe today and every day. By housing as many workers as possible in state-of-the-art temporary worker camps on site, we’ll be reducing the need for workers to occupy homes or other accommodation within the regions and avoid hundreds of vehicle movements each day.
“Minimising potential traffic and housing impacts is the right thing to do for the community and it is also good for our workforce.”
