Pumped Storage Hydro

Contracts awarded for Queensland’s Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro project

The Government of Queensland, Australia, has announced two contracts to advance development of the 5 GW Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro project.

First, the government announced that Twin Hills Engineering and Drilling was the successful tender for the six-month geotechnical shallow drilling program for the Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro energy storage project in Queensland. The results of this drilling program will be used to inform the project design and will be a fundamental part of the development of this nation-building project, according to a release.

Second, Queensland-based joint venture Water2Wire was announced as the successful proponent for the project’s Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED), as part of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan. Water2Wire is a partnership of three companies: GHD, Mott MacDonald and Stantec.

Pumped hydro energy storage is a proven technology that is a foundational investment in Queensland’s SuperGrid to provide 24/7 clean and reliable power, the government said. 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.

“The Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro Project is the cornerstone of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan and will be the largest pumped hydro scheme in the world,” said Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen Mick de Brenni. “This mega pumped hydro project … when connected to our Queensland SuperGrid, will underpin the reliability of our publicly owned grid by storing the energy generated by our renewable energy zones. The project is poised to offer hundreds of supply chain opportunities.”

“With Water2Wire’s recent work on high-profile projects like Borumba and Kidston and their collective expertise in delivering pumped hydro projects around the world they will be a great asset to this project. We are looking forward to working with them on this world-class project,” said Kieran Cusack, chief executive officer of Queensland Hydro. “We’re also delighted to be working with a local family business employing local workers has been awarded the first geotech drilling contract for Queensland Hydro’s Pioneer-Burdekin project.”

The government announced plans for this project in September 2022.