Securing of investment is vital: TEL
Peak body plea for integrated approach
TOWNSVILLE Enterprise is encouraging an integrated approach for developing the water resources of the huge Burdekin River system.
The peak development body said it was focused on securing funding committed by the previous LNP government for the Hells Gates Dam scheme so the project and another to raise the wall of the Burdekin Falls Dam could be reviewed in an integrated way.
“Our focus is on securing the first tranche of funding in the federal government’s $5.4bn commitment to Hells Gates. This will develop the critical body of knowledge on the entire Burdekin River system that will deliver the best water outcomes for the region and for the state,” Townsville Enterprise chief executive Claudia Brumme-smith said.
“As a region, we don’t want to lose this huge investment to capital city projects, which is highly likely if we do not stand united now.”
Townsville Enterprise Limited (TEL) was asked to comment on its support for Hells Gates and if it was correct that, as stated by private group the North Queensland Water Task Force, it was not supporting Burdekin Falls Dam stage 2.
Ms Brumme-smith said TEL was commissioned by the state and federal governments in 2019 to project manage a detailed business case on the proposed Hells Gates Dam project.
The study was conducted by a group of Australia’s leading independent engineering and economic consulting firms, including SMEC and KPMG.
“The detailed business case was subject to strict scoping with the input of both governments, including the requirement to meet all current environmental regulations,” she said. “It presents a strong economic case for the Hells Gates project, securing largescale private investment and creating 10,000 construction jobs and over 3000 ongoing jobs for our region.”
Ms Brumme-smith said the state government in 2019 had tasked Sunwater to deliver a detailed business case on the Burdekin Falls Dam wall raising.
“TEL has not been involved on that study, nor have we been commissioned to study any other water projects in the Burdekin River catchment,” she said. “We have certainly encouraged the federal and state governments to review the Hells Gates and Burdekin
Dam studies in an integrated way.”
Ms Brumme-smith said they wanted to brief the new Labor government on the critical importance of improved water security and push for continued work in developing the Hells Gates Dam.
She said $280m was allocated in the budget for pre-construction works including an environmental-impact statement and detailed modelling as a part of a whole-of-burdekin approach to water management.
“North Queensland is going to grow substantially over the coming decades and … the fact is that we will need more water storage capacity in our region to support new industries, agriculture, and population growth,” Ms Brumme-smith said.
She said more storage would also offer opportunities for green power in the form of pumped storage hydro. “We are determined to get this story across as we start working with the Albanese government moving forward,” she said.