An old Ipswich coal power station will be transformed into a renewable energy plant.
The Swanbank power station in Queensland is set to be converted into a clean energy plant.
Queensland Energy Minister Mick De Brenni said the conversion would help combat energy prices, which are set to spike in the coming months.
“What we’re doing is progressing a master-planned approach to a precinct where we’ll bring together wind energy, solar and the production of hydrogen to make sure that we’re able to keep downward pressure on electricity prices,” he told the ABC.
“The clean energy hub at Swanbank has the potential to generate up to 1.2 gigawatts of power. And to put that into context, that’s over 10 per cent of what Queensland uses each and every day at its peak.”
Government-owned electricity company CleanCo will spearhead the development, opening expressions of interest in the coming months for businesses to pitch what energy is produced at the site.
“We’ll be seeking proposals from the industry to develop hydrogen production and use here at the site and also to look at alternative energy-storage options,” CleanCO chief executive Tom Metcalfe said.
The company is also encouraging community submissions as part of the redevelopment.
“We’ll be engaging with the community around what other amenities, what other resources and facilities the community need here at Swanbank,” Metcalfe said.
“It could be related to energy, but it might be public space, it might be a heritage centre, it could be innovation.”
The Swanbank project is the least sustainable energy project in Queensland.
Last month, Bravus Mining and Resources’ Rugby Run solar farm was crowned Queensland’s top performing utility-scale photovoltaic facility for the second year in a row.
The solar farm produces 185,000 megawatts (MW) of energy from 247,000 solar panels.
The site provides power for the equivalent of approximately 23,000 regional homes and businesses.