Two major Sunshine State airports make switch to 100 pct renewables

The Gold Coast and Townsville airports in Queensland will both switch to 100 per cent renewable energy at the beginning of 2025, ensuring clean energy operations for the more than 8 million passenger journeys averaged each year.

From midnight January 1, 2025, the Gold Coast and Townsville airports – both of which are operated by Queensland Airports Limited (QAL) – will switch to 100 per cent renewable energy thanks to a new seven-year power purchase agreement with state-owned electricity company CS Energy.

Power for operations ranging from lighting and air conditioning to escalators and charging stations will be provided from renewable energy projects from CS Energy’s offtake portfolio in regional Queensland such as Kennedy Energy Park and solar farms at Columboola, Hughenden, and Moura.

In total, energy demand from the two airports will amount to around 30GWh each year.

The switch to 100 per cent renewable energy is part of the larger master plans for Gold Coast and Townsville airports which are anticipating major expansions to support anticipated growth in the lead up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Specifically, annual passenger journeys through Gold Coast and Townsville airports are expected to double to 16 million by 2044 due to increased service demand generated by growing industry and tourism sectors in the two regions.

“As a proud Queensland-owned and based company, CS Energy is excited to partner with QAL on its renewable energy transition,” said Darren Busine, CEO of CS Energy.

“Our customers’ energy needs have evolved, and our business is evolving with them. As our customers work towards meeting their decarbonisation goals and navigating the energy transition, companies like ours have to be responsive to their changing needs, and be able to provide new innovations, new products, and new technologies to support them.

“We are delighted to be part of Queensland Airports Limited’s journey towards their net zero targets.”

The switch to renewables is also part of QAL’s net zero 2030 target, with the organisation’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions to be initially reduced by as much as 90 per cent.