The proposed Borumba Pumped Hydro project comprises two-gigawatt / 48 gigawatt-hour pumped hydro storage project. The project is to be located at Borumba Dam, 70 kilometres south-west of Noosa in Queensland.
The project has two phases:
- an exploratory works phase which will include early works, and further investigations of the proposed site to inform the final project design, and
- an main works phase.
The project is being led by Queensland Hydro with oversight from the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC).
Queensland Hydro and QIC are undertaking a revised business case which will determine the scope, costs and schedule of the project. The project was previously being procured under four seperate work packages which included:
- Package One: Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES) Project:
- Package Two: Upper Dam:
- Package Three: Lower Dam
- Package Four: Original Equipment Manufacturing
Key Dates
| Jun 2021 | Project Announcement |
| Apr 2024 | ROIs Close: Package One, Two and Three (Old Scope) |
| May 2024 | ROIs Open: Package One, Two and Three (Old Scope) |
| Dec 2025 | ROIs Open: Delivery Partner |
| Dec 2025 | ROIs Close: Delivery Partner |
| 2026 | Expected Revised Business Case |
Funding contributions
| Queensland Government | |
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The 2025-26 Queensland Budget allocated $355 million to developing the business case and continuing early and exploratory works. |
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Financing
| Equity Finance: | Queensland Government |
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The Queensland Goverment committed $6 billion in equity financing in the 2023-24 Budget. |
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Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | Queensland Hydro |
| Procurement note: | The Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) has taken on management responsibilities of Queensland Hydro and oversee the delivery of a revised business case for the project. The project was previously being led by Powerlink Queensland. |
| Related contracts: |
PROJECT HISTORY
| Jun 2021 | The Queensland Government announced $22 million toward detailed design and cost analysis for the project. The Business Case is expected to take 24 months to complete, with a submission expected to Government by late 2023. |
| Aug 2021 | Powerlink Queensland issued a Request for Information for environmental studies and community consultation support, closing 27 August. An Invitation to Tender for the Owner's Engineer and Technical Advisory Services contracts was also expected to be issued. |
| Jun 2023 | The Queensland Government committed $6 billion in equity financing to the project in the 2023-24 Budget, and confirmed the final total cost for the project would be $14.159 billion. |
| Oct 2023 | The Queensland Coordinator General declared the project as a coordinated project. Following the declaration, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project is now required to be prepared. |
| Oct 2023 | Queensland Hydro has issued a Request for Tender for the delivery of the Borumba Dam Pumped Hydro and the Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro project's Environmental Impact Statement and strategic advisory services. The project was also declared a coordinated project by the Queensland Coordinator General. |
| Oct 2023 | An Expression of Interest process commenced for the tunneling and drilling contract for the project's exploratory works, closing on 4 December. |
| Nov 2023 | Queensland Hydro issued a Request for Tenders seeking design, supply, construction and maintenance services of temporary water infrastructure during this phase of work, closing on 29 November. |
| Dec 2023 | Queensland Hydro issued two Request for Tenders (RFT) for as part of the exploratory works for Borumba Dam Pumped Hydro project. One RFT is seeking contractors to undertake geotechnical drilling investigations, closing 2 February. The other is seeking associated technical services and management support, closing 22 February. |
| Feb 2024 | Queensland Hydro issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the design of the project, closing 29 March 2024. Successful proponents will design the project’s Upper and Lower Reservoirs and assist Queensland Hydro in engaging with contractors for dam construction. The contract with be awarded either as a single contract or separate contracts for the Lower and Upper dams. |
| Apr 2024 | Queensland Hydro has called for Registrations of Interest (ROIs) for three of the four main works packages, closing on 10 May. These include the Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Project (PHES) package, the Upper Dam Package, and the Lower Dam Package. |
| May 2024 | Queensland Hydro has called for Registrations of Interest for Main Support Works, including roads and bridges, water treatment and supply, wastewater and sewage, amongst other services. |
| May 2024 | Queensland Hydro has called for Expressions of Interest for Connection Application Advisory services, closing 12 June. Services include pre-submission advisory services and technical support for liaison with Powerlink and AEMO. |
| Aug 2024 | The Queensland Government's Office of the Coordinator-General released the final Terms of Reference for the project's environmental impact statement. |
| Sep 2024 | Queensland Hydro has announced three contracts totaling $191 million for the Borumba Pumped Hydro Project. Water2Wire, a Joint Venture between GHD, Mott MacDonald and Stantec, has been awarded the $40 million Dams Designer Deliver Partner package. A Joint Venture between AFRY and Aurecon were awarded the $40 million Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Designer package and Decmil were awarded a $111 million to design and construct two temporary works camps on site. |
| Nov 2024 | A cost and schedule review was delivered to the Queensland Government revising the expected project cost from $14.2 billion to $18.4 billion and delaying commencement from 2030 to 2033. |
| Apr 2025 | The Government announced that Queensland Investment Corporation would take on management responsibilities of Queensland Hydro and oversee the delivery of a revised business case for the project. The revised business case expected to be completed by mid-2026. |
| Dec 2025 | Queensland Hydro has opened a Registration of Interest to procure a Delivery Partner for the delivery of the proposed project. The Delivery Partner will be responsible for supporting Queensland Hydro through procurement of major works packages, awarding of main works contracts, and readiness for service and handover. The Delivery Partner will be appointed following the project’s business case approval which is expected in Q2 or Q3 2026. |
Estimated Total Cost
(2025)
Sector
Energy
Procurement approach
Unconfirmed |
Location
Queensland |
Resources
