15 April 2021
One of Australia’s first pumped hydro energy storage projects for several decades is set to commence construction before the end of the month, with project developer Genex announcing it had signed off on the financial contracts need to fund the project.
It means the 250MW/2,000MWh energy storage project, to be built at an old gold mine, is finally ready to go, following several years of development work and battles through delays and uncertainty.
The project is expected to create around 500 jobs in north Queensland, with construction expected to be completed by 2024.
The project will utilise two disused gold mine pits near the central Queensland township of Kidston, providing dispatchable supplies of energy storage, and will be combined with onsite supplies of renewable electricity.
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OPERATIONAL releases from Somerset Dam into Wivenhoe Dam have ceased following a dedicated three-day effort.
It comes after recent data revealed Somerset Dam sat at just under 79 per cent capacity, while Wivenhoe Dam tipped only 37.7 per cent.
On Friday, it was confirmed operations had been completed.
According to Seqwater, as of Saturday morning Wivenhoe sat at a slight increase of 40.9 per cent capacity and Somerset Dam at 80.1 per cent.
There are reportedly no water releases planned for Wivenhoe Dam at this stage, with the latest inflow expected to remain in storage.
It is understood Seqwater will keep the level of Somerset Dam at or below 80 per cent as it undertakes upgrades at the facility.
Premium Content A man sustained a head injury in a crash near Wivenhoe Dam early Tuesday morning. A Queensland Ambulance spokeswoman said the single vehicle crash was reported on Esk-Kilcoy Rd about 5.50am. The man s vehicle rolled in the crash. Paramedics treated the patient at the scene before taking him to Ipswich Hospital. Queensland Ambulance Service said the man, aged in his 30s, was in a stable condition with what appeared to be a minor head injury. Police have urged motorists to drive carefully on wet roads, with showers expected to persist through Tuesday. easter road toll
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Heavy rainfall in the Somerset Dam catchment has been an Easter weekend gift from the heavens for overall water supply levels, with dam operators starting operational releases into Wivenhoe Dam on Tuesday morning.
Seqwater CEO Neil Brennan said operational releases commenced from Somerset Dam about 10am and would continue for several days, after rainfall between 50-200mm fell at different locations across the Somerset Dam catchment over the Easter weekend.
“Seqwater is releasing water from Somerset Dam into Wivenhoe Dam via sluice gates to manage inflows and balance the water storage levels across both dams,” he said.
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Despite an ominous forecast, there was no Easter Monday deluge for the Ipswich region.
The better rainfall was recorded nearer the coast late Monday and early Tuesday, with the Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and Somerset Regions recording falls averaging 10-20mm.
Wivenhoe Dam recorded 27mm after 9am Monday, but Moogerah again missed out, only recording 8mm over the same period.
Goodna and Karalee both received about 25mm each, while Harrisville, Amberley and Gatton were all around the 15mm mark.
The good news is that rain and showers are forecast to continue throughout the rest of Tuesday, with more modest falls predicted to add to the rain that has already come over the past fortnight.