Project on the move
Wind in the sails of $160M energy park
A $160M energy project is inching closer to operation with the final stages of testing and commissioning underway.
Members of parliament and a group of North Queenslanders toured the Kennedy Energy Park earlier this week as part of the state government’s Regional Community Forum in Hughenden.
it comes after Windlab, which operates the energy park, partnered with Fortescue Future Industries as part of its new renewable energy supersub near Hughenden.
The state government announced the new supersub in Townsville earlier this week, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk saying it will build a super grid from Townsville to Hughenden.
The Kennedy Energy Park – which combines 43 megawatts (MW) of wind, 15MW of solar and a 2MW/4MWH battery – is the first to combine all three technologies at this scale in Australia’s National Electricity Market.
Developed by Windlab, the Kennedy Energy Park leverages the complementary nature of the region’s solar and wind resources to deliver renewable energy around the clock.
Windlab CEO John Martin said the park was an important early step in the company’s ambition to deliver 20 per cent of Australia’s new green energy generation over the next ten years.
“The enormous renewable energy potential of Hughenden and the Flinders Shire means this region is a strategically critical part of our development strategy,” Mr Martin said.
“Windlab’s decade-long presence in the Hughenden region and the partnerships we have built over that time mean we’re uniquely positioned to make the most of this exciting opportunity to unlock the region’s potential, delivering benefits we can all share.”
Employment and Small Business Minister Di Farmer said the Kennedy Energy Park, which was expected to begin commercial operations early next year, was part of a “wave” of renewable energy investment in North Queensland.
“Our planned Supergrid will unlock even more renewables in the region by strengthening the Hughenden to Townsville connection with a high-voltage transmission line that can move larger volumes of energy,” Ms Farmer said. “There were about 170 good jobs supported during construction of the Kennedy Energy.”
CS Energy’s offtake agreement with Windlab includes 100 per cent of the output of Kennedy Energy Park.
Ms Farmer said the energy transformation would drive investment and new opportunities in regional areas.
Energy, Hydrogen and Renewables Minister Mick de Brenni said projects like the Kennedy Energy Park were an important part of the pipeline to deliver more jobs in North Queensland.