Bungaban wind energy project area.
The South Queensland Renewable Generation Hub comprises individually permitted, complementary wind, solar and energy storage projects within one region. The first project to be developed within the Hub is Bungaban – a 1.4GW wind energy project about 40km from Wandoan and 60km from Taroom, or 450km north-west of Brisbane.
Bungaban will supply energy to repower major aluminium processing and refining operations in Gladstone, supporting hundreds of Queensland resources jobs and the long-term future of Australia’s advanced minerals processing capability.
The project will create up to 600 construction jobs and contribute around $500 million into the regional economy though local employment, supply and contracting opportunities.
Once operational, Bungaban will generate enough clean, cost-competitive energy to power the equivalent of 740,000 Queensland homes, while eliminating about 4 million tonnes of carbon for the state’s energy generation profile every year.
The success of our business relies on strong, long-term relationships in our host communities, and the delivery of equitable benefits that make a difference in the lives of local people in regional and rural Australia.
Over almost two years we’ve worked closely with landholders, Traditional Owners, neighbours, community members and regional stakeholders to understand local priorities.
Delivering Bungaban in a balanced and responsible way means providing opportunities for local people to inform the project’s development.
As we work through the Bungaban development process, and as development on future Hub projects starts, we’ll seek feedback from the community to ensure our work in the region is shaped by local knowledge and regional insight.
Bungaban is located across several cattle properties on Iman, and Auburn Hawkwood Country, within the northern and southern extents of the Western Downs and Banana Shire local government areas respectively.
Once operational, Bungaban will coexist alongside existing grazing operations with minimal impact, occupying less than 6 per cent of the combined area of its host properties. The project will connect to the existing regional transmission network.
Strategically developing complementary wind, solar and battery storage projects alongside the region’s foundational agricultural industry maximises the valuable use of the land, minimises impact to the community and supports efficient supply of energy to the grid when it’s needed.
As a responsible operator, we recognise any new development can have an impact, and the utmost care must be taken to protect environment and community values.
Our iterative and collaborative approach to design puts local perspectives at the heart of decision making, and ensures potential project impacts are understood and properly avoided, minimised or managed.
We are committed to working with landholders, Traditional Owners, community members, experts and partners to deliver meaningful, equitable benefits, and manage change associated with our projects in a way that is supported by stakeholders, balanced, and backed by science.
For more than 20 years, we have engaged locals in our projects, respected the needs and wishes of communities and taken pride in driving positive socio-economic outcomes for local people in regional Australia.
Born out of the CSIRO, we use our own leading-edge technology and globally recognised expertise to find, develop and operate the best performing renewable energy projects in the world.