A new wind and battery storage project, backed by some of the country’s biggest super funds, has been unveiled for south-east Queensland, despite the push-back against renewable energy technologies by the state government.
LP Renewables Projects, an Australian developer, and Intera Renewables, an investment platform backed by Palisade Investments and super funds Aware Super and Hesta, said the Monogorilby Renewable Energy Project would feature up to 100 wind turbines and around 600 megawatts (MW) of capacity.
That would make it one of the biggest wind projects in the state, although around half the size of some of the other wind farms about to begin construction further north. It will also be paired with a battery energy storage system, although its dimensions have not been revealed.
The Monogorilby project would be located around 55 km south of Mundubbera and 80 km to the north of Chinchilla.in an area with few residents, but close to high demand centres.
It is in the early stages of development, with local consultation and construction is not expected to begin until 2030/31, subject to local, state and federal planning agreements and other approvals being in place.
Wind projects have not had an easy run in Queensland since the election of the state LNP government, which has ripped up the state’s renewable energy targets, cancelled two wind projects and “called in” another two wind-based energy parks, as well as three standalone battery projects.
Last week, former Nationals leader and Queensland MP David Littleproud wrote to the state’s planning minister asking that he “call in” and “reject” another previously approved wind project, the 436.5 MW Tarong West facility proposed by RES.
The locality of Monogorilby appears to be located on the boundary of Littleproud’s electorate of Maranoa and that of Flynn. It is not clear which electorate the new wind farm is located.
LP Renewables director Llion Parry said in a statement that the Monogorilby site was selected due to its strong wind resource, proximity to existing high-voltage transmission and following supportive engagement with a number of local landowners and stakeholders.
“Monogorilby and the broader district provide a really strong set of fundamentals for hosting a renewable energy project: strong wind resource, low residential density and proximity to the transmission network,” he said.
Intera Renewables’ Head of Growth and Development, Ed Mounsey, said the development is still in its early stages and consultations are continuing with the local community to develop a Social Impact Assessment, and a Community Benefits Agreement that “delivers what the community wants and needs over the medium and long term.”
If you would like to join more than 29,000 others and get the latest clean energy news delivered straight to your inbox, for free, you can click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.
