- Queenslanders to own 100% of Copperstring 2.0 as part of SuperGrid
- Expanded $5B investment to deliver higher capacity power line to connect to the largest renewable energy zone in the nation and more than $500 billion in critical minerals
- Unlocks the next mining boom in critical minerals
- Makes North Queensland the epicentre for renewables manufacturing, minerals processing and hydrogen during the clean energy industrial revolution.
The Palaszczuk Government will deliver the 1,100 km CopperString 2.0 project to unlock Australia’s largest renewable energy zone and more than $500 billion dollars in new critical minerals in North Queensland.
Early works on the $5 billion project will start this year with construction planned to commence next year.
CopperString 2.0 will connect vast renewable wind and solar resources with critical minerals mining and processing that can be used to make batteries and renewables in North Queensland unlocking more, good secure jobs.
Construction is expected to support 800 direct jobs over six years and thousands of new jobs in critical minerals mining, manufacturing and construction of renewables.
Publicly owned transmission business Powerlink will lead work on the project.
Project facts:
- Copperstring 2.0 is a 1,100 kilometre, high voltage transmission line proposal to connect the North West Minerals Province to the National Electricity Market.
- Townsville to Hughenden proposed to be 500kV
- Hughenden to Cloncurry proposed to be 330kV
- Cloncurry to Mount Isa proposed to be 220kV
- Early works to start this year and construction next year. Project expected to be completed by 2029.
- The project scope now includes an increase in transmission capacity for the section between Townsville and Hughenden, from 330kV to 500kV, to unlock the renewable energy potential of the region. The estimated project cost has been updated for current global supply chain conditions.
Read the full Ministerial Media Statement at https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/97314
Highlights of the $62 billion Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan include:
- 70% of Queensland’s energy supply from renewables by 2032, and 80% by 2035
- Two new pumped hydros at Pioneer/Burdekin and Borumba Dam by 2035
- New Queensland SuperGrid connecting solar, wind, battery and hydrogen generators
- Unlocking 22GW of new large-scale wind and solar renewable capacity
- Publicly owned coal fired-power stations to convert to clean energy hubs, with jobs guarantees for workers
- Queensland’s publicly owned coal-fired power stations to stop reliance on burning coal by 2035
- 100,000 jobs by 2040, most in regional Queensland
- 11.5GW of rooftop solar and 6GW of embedded batteries
- 95% of investment in regional Queensland
- Building Queensland’s first hydrogen ready gas turbine.
You can find more information here: Media Resource Centre - Energy
