The proposed Borumba Dam Pumped Hydro project comprises a 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. Included in the project works will be construction of a 2.6-kilometre tunnel. Once complete, the upper dam volume will be 31.5 gigalitres.
The project is being led by Queensland Government-owned Powerlink Queensland.
Key Dates
| Jun 2021 | Project Announcement |
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 |
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. |
Estimated Total Cost
(2023)
Sector
Energy
Procurement approach
Unconfirmed |
Location
Queensland |
Resources
