Borumba Pumped Hydro Energy Storage project - draft terms of reference for an environmental impact statement

Overview

Queensland's Coordinator-General invites you to have your say on the draft terms of reference (TOR) for an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Borumba Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES) project.  

Prepared by the Coordinator-General, the draft TOR sets out the matters to be studied within the EIS. You are invited to comment on whether the draft TOR adequately covers all the matters Queensland Hydro Pty Ltd (Queensland Hydro) must address when preparing the EIS.

About the project

Queensland Hydro, a publicly owned proprietary company established by the Queensland Government, proposes to develop the $14.2 billion Borumba PHES project. The project would involve development of a PHES to supply up to 2,000 megawatts of continuous electricity for a 24 hour period (resulting in a storage capacity of 48,000 megawatt hours) in the Southern Queensland renewable energy zone. The proposed project is located approximately 13 kilometres south-west of Imbil, 48 kilometres south-west of Gympie, Queensland, in the Gympie Regional Council and Somerset Regional Council local government areas.

On 11 October 2023, the Coordinator-General declared the project a ‘coordinated project’, under section 26(1)(a) of the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 (SDPWO Act) (Qld), triggering the requirement for an EIS.

On 19 December 2023, the Australian Minister for the Environment determined the project to be a ‘controlled action’ under section 75 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) (EPBC 2023/09646), as the project has the potential to impact on matters of national environmental significance (MNES). The controlling provision are:

• World Heritage properties (sections 12 and 15A)
• National Heritage places (sections 15B and 15C)
• Ramsar wetland (sections 16 and 17B)
• listed threatened species and communities (sections 18 and 18A)
• listed migratory species (sections 20 and 20A).

The project will be assessed by accredited assessment under the SDPWO Act (Qld). The Coordinator-General’s EIS evaluation report will be provided to the Australian Minister.

How to make a submission

The draft TOR is available to view online from Saturday, 17 February 2024 to Thursday, 28 March 2024 at www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/BorumbaPHES. There are different options available to provide comments on this draft TOR. You only need to provide comments using one of these methods. Replicated responses received through different methods will only be counted as one submission.

1. Read the draft TOR here.

OR

Visit one of the following display locations (during the venue’s business hours) between Saturday, 17 February 2024 and Thursday, 28 March 2024 to view a printed copy of the draft TOR:

• Imbil Library, 125 Yabba Road, Imbil
• Gympie Library, 8-14 Mellor Street, Gympie
• Esk Library, 19 Heap Street, Esk
• Cooroy Library, 9 Maple Street, Cooroy
• State Library of Queensland, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Bank, Brisbane
• National Library of Australia, Parkes Place, Canberra.

2. Provide your submission by clicking on the ‘Make a comment’ link below.

OR

Send your comments to one of the following:

• email BorumbaPHESproject@coordinatorgeneral.qld.gov.au

• Post: Attention: Coordinator-General

                    C/- EIS Project Manager – Borumba PHES project
                    Office of the Coordinator-General
                    PO Box 15517
                    City East Qld 4002 Australia

Note: If you wish to attach anything (e.g. maps, images or supporting documents), please use the email option instead of the online form.

While you are encouraged to use the submission form, it is not mandatory. Your submission, including any personal information you provide in connection with your submission, may be disclosed by the Coordinator-General to the project proponent and to other local, State and Commonwealth government agencies. Your personal information will otherwise be dealt with in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld). If you have special communication needs, telephone the EIS project manager on 1800 011 048 to make alternative submission arrangements.

What happens next

Following the end of the comment period for the draft TOR, the Coordinator-General will consider any comments on the draft TOR received during the comment period.