Detailed design and cost analysis for Queensland’s Borumba Dam pumped hydro energy storage facility

The Queensland Government is investing $22 million to investigate the potential to construct pumped hydro energy storage at Borumba Dam, located 70km south-west of Noosa in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

While Borumba Dam has been identified as a potential site for pumped hydro, further studies are required to progress the project.

Powerlink has commenced a tender process to secure technical expertise to conduct a detailed cost and design analysis including engineering and design, hydrological modelling, geological testing, and assessment of environmental impacts. These studies will commence in the second half 2021 and will take around 24 months to complete, with final outcomes expected mid-to-late 2023.

Borumba Dam has been selected as the first site for detailed cost and design analysis following a state-wide assessment of potential pumped hydro locations. The site has been identified due to its proximity to the high-voltage transmission network, existing dam infrastructure, and location within the Southern Queensland Renewable Energy Zone (QREZ).

The Queensland Government has previously identified the site as a possible location for a pumped hydro facility and Powerlink has held the site since the 1980s.

Read more at Gld Government Department of Energy and Public Works and at Qld Tenders