Renewable energy in Central Queensland

For more than a century, Central Queensland has been the energy powerhouse of our state.

The region is now on the frontline of the state’s renewable energy transformation.

Renewable energy investment will help Queensland reach our carbon emissions reduction target of 75% (below 2005 levels) by 2035, and net zero by 2050.

Regional centres in Central Queensland include Gladstone, Rockhampton, Emerald and Biloela.

Energy strengths

Central Queensland has well-established heavy industries, minerals export supply chains, and a skilled workforce. These factors will remain vital throughout the clean energy transformation.

The Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan will provide more employment opportunities for Central Queenslanders.

Renewable energy zones

Central Queensland has been identified as a region with high renewable potential.

There are potentially 4 Renewable Energy Zones in this region. The region is suitable for REZ development due to existing infrastructure, growing demand for clean energy sources from industry and a skilled workforce.

A coordinated approach to investment across Central Queensland will help deliver the necessary clean energy infrastructure to build the SuperGrid.

Renewable energy generation projects

Sunshine and wind are being turned into renewable energy and jobs.

Existing solar farms in the region include the 100MW Lilyvale Solar Farm, 72MW Emerald Solar Park and the 82MW Moura Solar Farm. An additional 450MW of renewable energy generation is being added with the Clarke Creek Wind Farm currently under construction.

Oceania Biofuels has proposed a $500 million sustainable aviation fuel refinery in Gladstone. It’s expected to produce 350 million litres of renewable aviation fuel and diesel each year.

Feedstock will be used to create the biofuels, opening opportunities for local farmers to enter the circular energy economy.

Infrastructure upgrades

To help decarbonise heavy industry, $365 million was committed for the Gladstone Grid Reinforcement project. This will add 2.6GW of capacity to the network.

The project includes construction of a 275kV high-capacity line from Calvale to Calliope River, and upgrading lines stretching between Calliope River, Larcom Creek and Bouldercombe.

This reinforcement will allow more renewable energy projects to come online, propelling the state closer to our renewable energy and carbon emission reduction targets.

Australia’s leading hydrogen hub

Queensland’s hydrogen industry is expected to be a $33.4 billion industry by 2040, creating about 10,000 jobs. Central Queensland will be at the heart of this transformation.

Gladstone is one of the best regions in Australia to produce and export renewable hydrogen. It has a well-developed and sizeable port, is an established energy exporter and provides direct passage to Asia.

That’s why the Australian Government has designated the region as a hydrogen hub.

The Australian Government is investing more than $500 million in up to 7 hydrogen hubs across the country. The hubs will allow producers, users and exporters of hydrogen to work side by side to share infrastructure and expertise.

The Central Queensland Hydrogen Hub is led by the Queensland Government-owned Stanwell Corporation and the flagship Central Queensland Hydrogen Project (CQ-H2).

CQ-H2 is shortlisted for the Australian Government’s $2 billion Hydrogen Headstart program. CQ-H2 is expected to deliver almost 9,000 jobs and $17.2 billion in hydrogen exports. It’s set to produce 800t of renewable hydrogen a day which is the equivalent of fuelling more than double Australia’s heavy vehicle fleet.

The Front-End Engineering and Design study represents the largest investment in an Australian renewable hydrogen project of its kind.

Sumitomo and Rio Tinto’s $111 million Yarwun Hydrogen Calcination Pilot Demonstration Program is under construction. It will produce a 2.5MW electrolyser and 300t of hydrogen a year. The program is aimed at demonstrating the viability of using hydrogen in the calcination process, in which hydrated alumina is heated to temperatures of up to 1,000°C. The alumina refining industry in Australia emits approximately 14.9 metric tonnes of CO2 a year, or 3% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Other hydrogen projects in the region

Outside the hub, construction of the world’s largest hydrogen electrolyser manufacturing facility—Fortescue’s Green Energy Manufacturing Centre—is complete. Initially it will manufacture 2GW of electrolysers per annum, more than doubling current global production. The electrolysers made here can be sold to hydrogen producers both at home and across the world.

Work has started on the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group’s Hydrogen Park Gladstone. It will be Australia’s first city-wide supplier of a hydrogen blend into an existing gas network.

In Rockhampton, the publicly-owned Stanwell is developing a Future Energy Innovation and Training Hub to accelerate Queensland’s energy transformation at the Stanwell Power Station.

The hub will provide facilities to pilot innovative new energy technology, including energy storage and hydrogen. It will also provide a real-life, hands-on training environment for Queensland energy employees to develop the skills needed to work on new energy technologies.

Coal-fired power stations

Central Queensland’s publicly-owned coal-fired power stations will be given new life as clean energy hubs.

The Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan has committed to repurposing and reinvesting in all publicly owned coal-fired power stations.

Potential clean energy hub activities for Stanwell and Callide power stations include:

• installing renewable energy generation methods like wind or solar to the plants
• adding large-scale batteries to help store excess renewable electricity
• repurposing existing power generators into synchronous condensers that help to provide a secure and stable electricity grid.

Stanwell and Callide power stations will remain online until there is enough renewable energy generation to power the grid. The Energy (Renewable Transformation and Jobs) Act 2024 will ensure affected energy workers have secure futures, choices and opportunities as part of our energy transformation.

Gladstone’s SuperGrid Training Centre and Transmission Hub

Gladstone’s interim SuperGrid Training Centre and Transmission Hub opened in 2023. Works are underway on the permanent facility with the project expected to be completed by early 2026.

In 2024, Powerlink welcomed its first intake of Gladstone-based apprentices to support the critical projects of Central Queensland. Hundreds of energy workers will be upskilled each year in a range of areas, including high-voltage technical training.

The state-of-the-art facility serves as a regional base for training energy workers, upskilling a growing workforce and supporting the changing focus in the Gladstone area. The hub has been set up in the Central Queensland Renewable Energy Zone and is well located to help deliver a number of regional future transmission projects.

High school training programs

Queensland has also invested $2 million to upgrade facilities at Gladstone State High School to prepare students for jobs in the hydrogen industry.

Find out about jobs in renewable energy.

How we generate electricity in Queensland

View Queensland’s electricity generation map.

Landholder opportunities

Opportunities exist for landholders to host renewable energy projects. The Queensland Renewable Energy Landholder Toolkit can help you with the decision-making process.

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