New Copperstring HQ sparks more employment for the region

• The Premier has opened a new office for Copperstring 2032 in Townsville
• 60 new jobs will be created, 30 dedicated to Copperstring
• The office will be co-located with a new Supergrid Training Centre and Transmission Hub

The Premier has today opened the new Copperstring 2032 office and a new Supergrid Training Centre and Transmission Hub, which will be co-located in Townsville.  

By the end of the year, up to 60 highly skilled energy workers including 30 dedicated to CopperString 2032, will be based at the interim hub while a purpose-built facility is constructed.

The hub will play a key role in the delivery of CopperString 2032, and the growth of North Queensland’s renewable energy industry.

It will train workers in the specialist high voltage skills required to build, operate and maintain the northernmost reaches of Australia’s electricity network.

CopperString 2032 forms part of the Queensland SuperGrid. It also unlocks Australia’s largest renewable energy zone and more than $500 billion dollars in new critical minerals in North Queensland.

Next week, community information sessions on CopperString will commence from Mount Isa to Townsville, providing the opportunity for community members and local suppliers to hear more about the project.

The Supergrid Training Centre and Transmission Hub in Townsville complements another already operating in Gladstone, and is part of a $90 million investment by the Palaszczuk Government to grow and future proof the energy workforce.

Quotes attributable to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk:

“This hub will play an important role in delivering CopperString 2032.

“By the end of the year it will house 60 new energy workers – 30 of them dedicated to Copperstring, and this number will only grow.

“Copperstring 2032 will unlock Australia’s largest renewable energy zone and more than $500 billion dollars in new critical minerals.  

“Early works for the $5 billion Big Build project are already underway ahead of construction commencing after the coastal wet season.

“I encourage locals and industry to get involved in the community sessions, which kick off next week.”

Quotes attributed to the Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen, Mick de Brenni:

“This hub will become the epicentre for energy jobs and training in North Queensland, with hundreds of dedicated CopperString and Supergrid workers set to be upskilled and trained.

“It means our workforce will stay up-to-date with quickly progressing technologies in the renewable energy field, ensuring we successfully deliver our projects.

“I’d like to thank the Premier and the local Townsville MPs who have championed this project and the opportunities it will unlock.”

Quotes attributable to local Member for Townsville, and the Minister for Resources Scott Stewart:

“This is about ensuring good jobs in new and exciting fields for local people, like the kids sitting in our classrooms today who are our future.”

“The Palaszczuk Government’s Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan and CopperString 2032 will unlock new potential for our region, delivering the critical minerals required to support our future renewable infrastructure.

Quotes attributable to local Member for Mundingburra, Les Walker

“The official opening of this facility signifies a bright future and a huge investment opportunity for Townsville and the North.

“As the North Queensland Hydrogen Champion, I am excited about any projects that get Queensland closer to our renewable energy targets and Townsville is perfectly placed to take advantage of this.”

Quotes attributable to Powerlink Chief Executive Paul Simshauser:

“The hub provides a regional base for our people to help drive the energy system transformation, which includes ongoing work to deliver the North Queensland Renewable Energy Zone between Townsville and Cairns.

“We will continue to grow our North Queensland base and create a pipeline of skilled people as we future-proof our longer term resourcing requirements to deliver our commitments under the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan.

“It’s an exciting time to make North Queensland home.”

ENDS

Project facts:

• Copperstring 2.0 is a 1,100 kilometre, high voltage transmission line proposal to connect the North West Minerals Province to the National Electricity Market.
• Townsville to Hughenden proposed to be 500kV
• Hughenden to Cloncurry proposed to be 330kV
• Cloncurry to Mount Isa proposed to be 220kV
• Early works to start this year and construction next year. Project expected to be completed by 2029.
• The project scope now includes an increase in transmission capacity for the section between Townsville and Hughenden, from 330kV to 500kV, to unlock the renewable energy potential of the region. The estimated project cost has been updated for current global supply chain conditions.

Highlights of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan include:

• 70% of Queensland’s energy supply from renewables by 2032, and 80% by 2035
• Two new pumped hydros at Pioneer/Burdekin and Borumba Dam by 2035
• New Queensland SuperGrid connecting solar, wind, battery and hydrogen generators
• Unlocking 22GW of new large-scale wind and solar renewable capacity
• Publicly owned coal fired-power stations to convert to clean energy hubs, with jobs guarantees for workers
• Queensland’s publicly owned coal-fired power stations to stop reliance on burning coal by 2035
• 100,000 jobs by 2040, most in regional Queensland
• 11.5GW of rooftop solar and 6GW of embedded batteries
• 95% of investment in regional Queensland
• Building Queensland’s first hydrogen ready gas turbine.
• $19 billion committed over the next four years of the Queensland budget
  
  

You can find more information here: Media Resource Centre - Energy

ENDS

Media contact: 

Asaesja Young (Premier's Office) - 0423 339 899

Elise Williams (Minister De Brenni's Office) - 0482 503 675