Environmental

Ecologists work to identify flora and fauna at Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro project site

Ecologists work to identify flora and fauna at Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro project site

Ecologists with Queensland Hydro have been undertaking field investigations to better understand what flora and fauna exist in the vicinity of the proposed 5 GW Pioneer-Burdekin pumped storage hydro project site.

The ecologists have been undertaking field investigations to survey the land (terrestrial) and water (aquatic) ecosystems to better understand the flora and fauna. Surveys completed to date have identified hundreds of flora and fauna species. Flora and fauna surveys are season-dependent and will continue to be carried out across the different seasons of the year, Queensland Hydro said.

To date, 195 fauna species and 346 plant species have been identified. The fauna species include 12 amphibians, 23 reptiles, 22 mammals, 126 birds, eight fish and four crustaceans.

Queensland Hydro said it is likely that additional species, particularly aquatic species, will be identified through E-DNA samples, which have been collected and submitted to a laboratory for processing.

The Pioneer-Burdekin project is proposed to provide a capacity of 5 GW for 24 hours, equivalent to around half of the entire state’s peak usage. The project will support more than 3,000 jobs during the peak of construction.

In June 2023, Hydro Review reported that The Government of Queensland has announced two contracts to advance development of the Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro project. First, Twin Hills Engineering and Drilling was the successful tender for the six-month geotechnical shallow drilling program, with results used to inform the project design. Second, joint venture Water2Wire was the successful proponent for the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED), as part of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan. Water2Wire is a partnership of GHD, Mott MacDonald and Stantec.