CopperString gets green light today, let's start SuperGrid in the North tomorrow
Townsville Enterprise has welcomed the news from CopperString today about the approval of their Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) by the Queensland Government’s Coordinator-General for the 1000-kilometre CopperString high-voltage electricity transmission network in North and North-West Queensland.
The news follows the release of the Premier’s announcement of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan yesterday which indicated that CopperString would not be completed until mid-2030.
Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith said now that CopperString has its EIS approval from the Queensland Government there is no reason to wait.
“CopperString has been in the pipeline for more than a decade, it does not make sense to wait another decade for this project when it has the government’s environmental approvals and is crucial to achieving the State’s 70% 10-year renewables target,” Mrs Brumme-Smith.
“CopperString is the most advanced electricity transmission project in Australia right now, it is getting shovel ready and it is the key to the Premier’s SuperGrid – so let’s start tomorrow.”
The Premier said when launching the Energy and Jobs Plan, yesterday that:
“The SuperGrid brings together all of the elements in the electricity system with the poles and wires that provide Queenslanders with clean, reliable and affordable power for generations. That super grid delivers around 1,500 kilometres of transmission lines from Brisbane up to North Queensland and out west to Hughenden. These 500 kilovolt transmission lines will be the largest constructed in Queensland’s history, carrying the energy to power new manufacturing jobs across our regions. And we are continuing with our commitment to back CopperString to connect to the North West Minerals Province - driving more jobs in Mount Isa and Townsville.”
Link to the Coordinator-General’s CopperString project 281-page evaluation report https://eisdocs.dsdip.qld.gov.au/CopperString/2022/CGER/copperstring-project-coordinator-general-evaluation-report.pdf
