FAQ | South Queensland Renewable Generation Hub (SQRGH)

What is the South Queensland Renewable Generation Hub?

The South Queensland Renewable Generation Hub comprises individually permitted, complementary wind, solar and battery storage projects within one region. The Hub is located about 40km from Wandoan and 60km from Taroom in rural Queensland, or about 450km north-west of Brisbane.

The Hub makes strategic use of the ‘inverse correlation’ between the region’s wind and solar profiles - here, the wind picks up when the sun goes down.

This means the Hub will be one of just a handful of places in the country where clean, low-cost energy can be generated around the clock.

What’s more, complementary battery storage will ensure this energy can be deployed to Australian households, businesses, and industry when it’s needed most.

How far have the projects progressed?

The most mature project is Bungaban, a 1.4GW wind energy project currently in active development. Over the past year we have been working closely with landholders, neighbours, local councils, Traditional Owners regional economic development groups as we refined the project’s business case. Broad community consultation commenced in late 2023.

The project’s regulatory approvals are progressing, and we anticipate Bungaban will be operational and producing low-cost, clean energy at scale within the next five years.

The future projects that make up the South Queensland Renewable Generation Hub are still in early development. At this stage, our focus is on working with local people and key stakeholders to understand community expectations and priorities, which is a critical part of ensuring any project delivers meaningful economic value and shared benefits in the region

Why this location?

In assessing this project site for development, we considered a range of factors, on balance, to determine the site’s suitability; primarily:

The location, quality, relatability and nature of the resource

Renewable energy projects must be located where a suitable resource is present.
To be suitable for clean energy generation, wind and solar resources must have specific characteristics to be viable and ensure reliable and cost-effective supply of energy to the grid.

Access to transmission infrastructure

Connecting to existing infrastructure limits the impact of the project, reduces the time it takes for new generation to be connected to the national electricity market and also lowers the overall project cost, which means the power can be sold a much more competitive rates.

Existing use of the land

Renewable energy projects should be compatible with the existing use of the land. The South Queensland Renewable Generation Hub is located on land used for grazing cattle and these operations will continue alongside energy generation.

Our ability to responsibly deliver a balanced project

To be feasible, a project must be able to be responsibly developed, financed and constructed in a way that delivers lasting value to our shareholders, stakeholders and the community and in line with regulatory obligations.

What is the approvals process like for these projects?

Windlab’s development pathway is an iterative process that unfolds over a number of years.

Through this process, an initial concept design for a project is scrutinised against extensive environmental and resource studies and refined based on detailed and ongoing consultation with the local community, regional stakeholders, conservation groups, resource management and regulatory authorities.

All proposed renewable energy developments in Queensland require distinct approvals from Local, State and Federal Government authorities.

The South Queensland Renewable Generation Hub will comprise individually permitted and complementary wind, solar and storage projects, meaning each project will be subject to independent regulatory review at each level of government.

Bungaban is the Hub’s most mature project and we are currently working through the significant requirements that underpin the State and Federal approvals for renewable energy projects in Queensland. We will keep community and project stakeholders informed and provide plenty of opportunity for input as this work progresses.

Federal Government Requirements

At the Federal level, projects are assessed against the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, which protects matters of national environmental significance. The EPBC Referral for Bungaban was submitted in January 2024, and the project will be assessed by Preliminary Documentation under the Act. The Preliminary Documentation will be made available to the public for a prescribed period once submitted.

State Government Requirements

Projects must also meet the requirements of Queensland’s State Planning assessment provisions. The Queensland Government assesses compliance against a number of measures including vegetation management, visual amenity and acoustic amenity.

Finally, specific activities to enable project delivery can require local government approval, for example, upgrades to council roads or infrastructure to transport components, etc.

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Where does the energy go?

Energy produced by The Hub’s projects will connect to Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) to support the delivery of clean, competitively priced power to Queensland homes, business and large industry.

The project’s landmark Power Purchase Agreement with a major industrial partner, means eighty per cent of the energy generated for the NEM by Bungaban is allocated towards supplying critical minerals processing facilities in Gladstone.

This agreement highlights the importance of large-scale renewable energy projects in supporting the long-term future of Queensland’s powerhouse traditional industries like Gladstone’s metals smelting and refining operations. These industries employ thousands of people in regional communities across the state and have a key role to play in our nation’s low-carbon future.

The remaining 20 per cent of clean energy produced by Bungaban is allocated to the NEM, for delivery to Queensland homes and businesses.

What benefits will the projects bring to the region?

The proposed 1.4GW Bungaban wind energy project alone will generate up to 600 jobs during construction, and inject hundreds of millions of dollars into the regional economy.

Engaging this early in the project’s development gives us the opportunity work with locals to understand interest and capacity in the region, how we can support skills and capacity development for locals, what the ideal employment mix looks like, and establish how the project can be aligned with local priorities to support a diverse and thriving regional economy.

Part of our consultation over the next 12 months will be to get input to shape the project’s Community Benefit Fund which will support sustainable community development initiatives that matter to local people.

The Western Downs and Banana Shire is ideally positioned to benefit from the renewable energy transition. The region has high value renewable energy resources, strong land-use compatibility, great foundational infrastructure and access, and a skilled workforce and ready to support construction.

Will Windlab be providing sponsorships and donations for community groups?

Yes. Windlab is committed to unlocking high-value, sustainable development opportunities for our host communities over the life of our projects (30+ years).

An annual Community Benefit Fund will be established once the Bungaban wind energy project reaches financial close to support stakeholder and community-led projects that deliver on local aspirations and establish a positive legacy.

The Fund will be structured into two funding groups:

Donations and sponsorships: Grassroots initiatives and community events to support local vibrancy and connection.
Community partnerships and legacy projects: Long-term capacity building projects that support sustainable socio-economic development, and regional community and environment resilience.

In June 2024 we launched the $50,000 Bungaban Community Benefit Fund pilot program. The full-scale Bungaban Community Benefit Fund will be launched once the project reaches financial close, expected before the end of 2025.

Where will the workers come from?

The Western Downs and Banana Shire regions have well-established foundational industries and a skilled industrial workforce. Windlab will work with regional communities and stakeholders to maximise opportunities for local people and businesses in a sustainable way.

A key focus of the consultation process over the next 12 months is to build a deeper understanding of the regional skills mix and supply and contracting capacity. This will ensure we offer the appropriate balance of local employment and supply and contracting opportunities in line with community expectations and regional development objectives.

Windlab has strict local content requirements and as part of Windlab’s tender evaluation process for the Bungaban project, contractors bidding for packages will submit local content plans to demonstrate how they will maximise local employment and opportunities for regional businesses.

Due to the scale of the Bungaban project and the specialist skills required, some of the construction workforce may come from other parts of Queensland. We will gather local feedback to understand the preferred way of housing out-of-town workers during construction to minimise disruption.

How will the wind turbines and equipment get to site?

Turbine components and heavy equipment will most likely travel to site from the Port of Brisbane via Toowoomba, Miles and Wandoan along the Warrego and Leichhardt highways.

Where required Windlab will fund upgrades to state and local roads to facilitate the safe and efficient transport of large components. A Traffic Management Plan will be developed in consultation with the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads and local councils to minimise impacts to road users, maintain access to properties, manage traffic flows.

We understand that managing traffic impacts is important. We are committed to working will local authorities to minimise the potential temporary impacts to road users.

How will Windlab manage any potential impacts from the project?

Windlab is a fully integrated renewable energy company, which means we develop, build and own our projects. This means we are engaged and present in the community for the full life of the project, and the people that live and work in the regions that host our projects are our long-term stakeholders. We take their views seriously.

One of the most effective ways we manage potential impacts is by avoiding or minimising them through design. We do this by ensuring local input and robust evidence informs the design and management approach on our projects from early in the development phase.

This means investing in robust impact assessment and mitigation studies, and providing regular opportunities for local people and stakeholders to build their understanding of the project, provide feedback on the design options and alternatives, and talk with the project team about their concerns and priorities.

Throughout the development phase, we continuously refine the project’s design in a way that balances all the inputs gathered through the process – from land use constraints and stakeholder feedback to ecology survey results, wind energy yield data and construction logistics.

For example, over three years we revised the design of our Gawara Baya project in the Charters Towers region to eliminate all turbines to the southern extent of the project area, reducing the potential visual impact of the project on the community of Mount Fox. We rerouted the internal transmission line and removed or relocated turbines to eliminate impacts to areas of higher ecological value, and made sure major site infrastructure didn’t interfere with agriculturally valuable pasture in line with the host landholder’s preferences.

Where the potential impacts can’t be avoided, we work with locals to ensure management approaches and regulatory requirements are clearly understood and aligned with community expectations.

Will these projects impact the productivity of existing agricultural operations?

Once operational, wind energy projects are highly compatible with grazing operations, with cattle able to graze right up to the base of the turbines.

Bungaban will occupy less than 6 per cent of the total combined area of its host cattle properties.

Our design process includes early consultation with host landholders to develop a project layout that minimises disruption to farming practices.

Additionally, hosting renewable energy projects can help landholders diversify their operations, and provides a predictable annual income stream that can insulate against feed and stock price volatility and the impact of drought and other severe weather events on production.

Isn’t renewable energy unreliable?

No. In fact, Australia’s abundant solar and wind resources are highly predictable, but they are variable, which means production varies throughout the day, across the seasons, and between locations. For this reason, the location of new renewable energy developments matters, and getting the balance between wind and solar generation right is important.

Key areas of Queensland are home to a strategically critical wind energy resource that is ‘inversely correlated’ with solar, and wind generation in other parts of the country.

Bungaban and future South Queensland Renewable Generation Hub projects are in an area where the wind picks up as the sun goes down. This means the Hub’s projects will be among just a handful of renewable energy developments in the country where clean, low-cost energy can be generated around the clock from a single location.

What’s more, complementary battery storage will ensure excess energy generated can be deployed to Australian households, businesses, and industry when it’s needed most.

Queensland has a unique role to play in the transformation of Australia’s energy system, and regional Queensland communities are ideally positioned to benefit from the rollout of new renewable energy projects across the state.

I’ve heard adding new renewable energy generation can make the transmission network less stable. Is this true?

All energy generators connecting to the grid must address a range of stringent, project-specific technical requirements to ensure system security and reliability. In Queensland, the transmission network is publicly owned and operated by Powerlink. Powerlink works with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to ensure any generator connecting to the grid meets AEMO’s comprehensive Generator Performance Standards.

The Hub will use advanced grid-forming inverters with integrated energy storage to meet these technical connection requirements.

An added benefit of the grid-forming technology being used within The Hub is it can contain excess energy in the grid and redeploy it when it's needed, increasing the efficiency of the energy system overall.

Where will the project’s turbines and components be sourced?

Components that can be manufactured in the region and procured competitively will be sourced from local suppliers wherever possible.

Australia currently lacks industrial manufacturing capacity for some major project components, such as wind turbine generators. These will be sourced from established global manufacturers via reputable Australian suppliers.

How much land will the project take up?

Based on the current project design, Bungaban will occupy less than 1.2 per cent of the combined area of its host cattle properties once operational (559ha).

The maximum temporary development footprint during construction will be less than 6 per cent of the total area of all host properties. This includes changes of any kind to the existing grazing properties, including previously cleared roads, tracks and agricultural pasture.

More than 99 per cent of the project’s development footprint occurs within non-remnant, historically cleared and disturbed land, with critical infrastructure positioned away from sensitive areas, minimising overall biodiversity impacts.

More than 80 per cent of the development footprint will be rehabilitated and progressively restored over the life of the project.

Are wind farms noisy?

Wind turbines make low levels of noise which drop significantly the further you are from the turbine. For example, from a 500-metre distance, modern wind turbines have an average sound level around 40 decibels, which is about the same as a household refrigerator.

In Queensland wind turbines cannot be placed within 1.5km of an occupied dwelling. At the mandatory 1.5km set back, wind turbine noise is unlikely to be audible over background noise levels, which are around 30 decibels on average in the stillest, most remote rural areas.

As a condition of Development Approval, all wind farms must comply with strict State regulatory requirements that ensure any potential risk of noise from the project does not exceed maximum thresholds.

Will the project impact any listed plants or animals?

Bungaban is in the development stage, which is when we complete the comprehensive technical and environment studies and stakeholder consultation to support Local, State and Federal Government approval processes.

Construction on Bungaban is expected to commence in late 2025 and take three to four years to complete. Bungaban will start sending energy to the grid by the end of 2028.

Will the project impact remnant native vegetation?

Remnant vegetation makes up only about 0.3 per cent (8ha) of the project’s temporary development footprint with the remaining 99.7 per cent comprised of non-remnant, historically cleared and disturbed land.

More than 80 per cent of the temporary development footprint will be rehabilitated and progressively restored once construction activity in the area allows.

How can I have my say?

Our project team will be available to answer any questions you have about the project and we encourage you to get in touch.

Phone: 1800 676 864

Email: sqrgh@windlab.com

Why wind?

Australia needs more power generation to meet increased demand. In fact, energy experts and retailers expect a significant shortage of supply in Australia by 2025 if we don't secure significant new generation in the market.

The past few years have been tough for energy consumers, with the cost of power skyrocketing.

Wind energy, unlike traditional fuel commodities, can’t be stockpiled or shipped to global markets. This means that energy generated by Australia’s wind resources has to be used in Australia, by Australian industry, businesses and households, and this can help insulate Aussie consumers against global price pressures.

Wind is proven technology for energy production, and according to data informing the Australian Energy Market Operators Integrated system Plan, is the cheapest energy source per megawatt when comparing the costs associated with building new energy generation assets.

Queensland is home to a unique wind resource with a ‘inverse correlation’ to solar, and wind generation elsewhere.

That means it’s windy here late in the afternoon and overnight, when solar generation is coming off the grid, and at times when there is little to no wind energy being generated in other parts of the country.

This means Queensland wind is a critical part of the energy mix and supporting secure, reliable supply to our national grid at the lowest cost to consumers, as we work towards our global decarbonisation objectives.

Who is Windlab?

Windlab is the 100% Australian company born out of the CSIRO.

For 20 years, we’ve used our own world-leading science and globally recognised expertise to find, construct and operate the best renewable energy projects in the world.

We exist to provide more Australians with access to the low-cost energy to power our homes and charge up our industries, while doing our part to prevent the heartbreak of escalating natural disasters caused by a changing climate. We take our commitments to local people, places and the planet seriously, and we work with experts and partners to minimise our impact and protect community and environmental values.

Windlab employs about 100 people across offices in Brisbane, Townsville, Hughenden, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Ararat.

For more information about Windlab, visit www.windlab.com.

Frequently asked questions

Have questions?

Contact us and a member of our project team will get back to you.

South Queensland
Renewable Generation Hub

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