Project

Capricornia Energy Hub Pumped Hydro

PROJECT STATUS
Under Procurement
Capricornia Energy Hub Pumped Hydro

The Capricornia Energy Hub Pumped Hydroelectric System is a proposed 750-megawatt (MW) pump and generation facility. The project would have the capacity to dispatch this power over 16 hours, giving the facility a total storage capacity of 12 gigawatt hours (GWh) and a water transfer volume of 18.1 gigalitres (GL).

The project site is to be located approximately 80 km west of Mackay in North Queensland, approximately 10 km west of Eungella and near the existing Eungella Dam.

The project is owned by Cophenhagen Infrastructure Partners, and the project team have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Queensland Government-owned CS Energy.

The scope of works includes: 

  • two reservoirs: the upper being a valley fill reservoir and the lower being an in-stream reservoir in the Broken River
  • a powerhouse
  • tunnels or pipes linking the reservoirs and the powerhouse, and
  • a transmission line and substation. 

Key Dates

Apr 2023 Project Announcement
Feb 2024 ROIs Open
Mar 2024 ROIs Close
2028 Expected Construction Completion

PROJECT HISTORY

Aug 2022 Queensland Government-owned CS Energy signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bowen Renewable Energy Hub for the pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) component of the project.
Apr 2023 Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners acquired the project through its Copenhagen Infrastructure IV fund.
Feb 2024 A Registration for Expressions of Interest process opened for the project, closing on 6 March 2024.
Estimated Total Cost
(2024)
Sector
Energy
Procurement approach
Other |
Location
Queensland |
Resources