RenewEconomy launches pumped hydro storage map of Australia

RenewEconomy has unveiled the latest in its series of renewable energy and storage project maps of Australia, this time focusing on pumped hydro storage.

The map is well-timed, given the increased focus on long-term storage needs, and it coincides with the release of a new funding scheme by the NSW government, and a feasibility study into a major new pumped hydro project at Borumba Dam in Queensland.

The Pumped Hydro Storage Map of Australia identifies more than 20 different projects. Only three of them are in operation – Tumut, Wivenhoe and Shoalhaven – and two more are in construction, including the massive and controversial Snowy 2.0 scheme and the Kidston project in north Queensland.

Another 15 or so are in various stages of development, some of them waiting for possible funding initiatives from ARENA, or the federal government’s UNGI scheme, both of which have been delayed.

The map does not include sites of pumped hydro potential – like that put together by the ANU – but focuses instead on completed and announced projects and proposals.

It also includes a compressed air energy storage project proposal for Broken Hill, which is similar to pumped hydro apart from the fact it would use compressed air rather than water.

We hope you find this and other maps that we have produced to be a useful reference. If we have missed some project proposals, or if you spot an error, please do let us know.

You can find the other maps we have published in our series below. And there is more to come!

Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Map of Australia

Big Battery Storage Map of Australia

Large Scale Wind Farm Map of Australia

Large Scale Solar Farm Map of Australia