Construction has begun on one of Australia’s biggest energy grid expansions to power up a mineral-rich region in the north.
The $5 billion CopperString project will connect Queensland’s northwest to the grid through an 840km power line running from south of Townsville to Mount Isa.
Set to be finished by 2029, CopperString has been described as the region’s “most transformative project since steam locomotives” in the 19th century.
The project is set to provide more affordable power to companies mining deposits valued at $500 billion in the North West Minerals Province.
“This is a visionary project that will change Queensland forever,” Deputy Premier Cameron Dick told reporters on Tuesday.
The project will help unlock the province’s copper, zinc, lead, silver and phosphate needed to make smartphones and renewable energy parts.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/construction-begins-on-5-billion-transmission-line-to-open-up-wind-solar-and-minerals/
