Queensland – the country’s mosts coal dependent state – says it will lock in its multiple renewable energy targets – which rise to 80 per cent by 2035 – through legislation as part of a $62 billion investment plan over the next decade.
The state Labor government says it expects 22GW of new wind and solar, and another 12GW of batteries and pumped hydro, will be built by 2035, creating 100,000 jobs along the way.
The plan includes transforming the sites of the state’s coal generating facilities into clean energy hubs, the construction of two massive pumped hydro projects at Borumba and Burdekin, new transmission links such as the Copperstring line out to Mt Isa, and green hydrogen hubs at Gladstone and Townsville.
