Borumba Dam project topical issue in community

from Cooroy Rag 19 October 2022 edition

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Attendees at one of the Pumped Hydro Project community engagement sessions in July.

IMBIL’S Borumba Dam has been identified by the Queensland Government as “one of the best” potential sites for long-duration pumped hydro in Queensland through the Queensland Hydro Study.

The Borumba Dam Pumped Hydro project and a new Queensland super grid (SuperGrid) connecting solar, wind, battery and hydrogen generators are just two parts of the $62 billion Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan announced by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk late last month.

Borumba Pumped Hydro Project Director Chris Gwynne said Borumba Dam had been earmarked as a potential pumped hydro site for nearly four decades.

“Pumped hydro will play a vital role in the transformation of the energy system to renewable energy and a more diverse generation mix across Queensland,” Mr Gwynne said.

A dedicated, publicly-owned entity – Queensland Hydro – has been set up to deliver the Borumba Pumped Hydro Project, and Mr Gywnne said the team met with key stakeholders in Imbil, Kandanga and Gympie last week to further discuss the project. “The Borumba project team met with a dedicated local stakeholder group to discuss a traffic and transport study while the wider environmental study is well underway. “The local communities can rest assured that the change to Queensland Hydro is in name only, and the current project team will continue to work closely with the local community in the same open and genuine way it has been since last year.” Save the Mary River Coordinating Group president Glenda Pickersgill said the hydro project is a topical issue in the community. “The Borumba hydro project is being proposed as one of the linchpins of the SuperGrid before the project feasibility studies have been completed.” Ms Pickersgill said there are significant risks in “putting eggs in the one basket with Borumba and the SuperGrid”. “The microgrid concept and battery technology (on buildings) are improving rapidly and have benefits of making more resilient communities in the long term without the destruction and risks attached to dams and high voltage power lines.” Ms Pickersgill said there are many concerns that are being voiced at the information sessions and not a lot of answers to potential social and environmental impacts.

“Whole-of-life costs including decommissioning, environmental and social impact costs need to be considered in evaluating whether this project stacks up for reducing carbon emissions,” she said.

Mr Gwynne said over 100 people attended drop-in sessions held by the Borumba project team in mid-July, “building on similar levels of community interest at previous drop-in sessions held in December 2021 and April 2022”.

“The Borumba project team held a new round of community drop-in sessions in Imbil and Gympie in mid-July for the local community to get updates from the project team and learn more about progress on the proposed project.”

Mr Gwynne said the project team had received valuable feedback from the community, including through the drop-in sessions and the project stakeholder reference group.

“Currently, we are busy completing the environmental, social, economic, and engineering studies that support the detailed analytical study which is due for completion in early 2023.

“We also have been conducting a community survey – with two focus areas on recreation and transmission connections – which closed on October 2.

“The survey will assist the Borumba project team to learn what facilities and experiences stakeholders value at the lake and what stakeholders love most about the region.

“Outcomes from the survey will also inform the detailed transmission connection investigations being undertaken for the Borumba project.”

The next drop-in sessions are planned for late November and will be advertised closer to the date.

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