The $160 million Kennedy Energy Park in North Queensland, which includes wind and solar generation as well as a storage battery, has begun its final testing and commissioning phase before commercial operations begin in 2023.
Kennedy Energy Park combines 43MW wind, 15MW solar and a 2MW/4MWh battery, and marks the Park as the first of its kind in Australia to combine all three technologies, at this scale, for in the National Electricity Market.
Developed by renewable energy company Windlab, Kennedy Energy Park uses the complementary nature of the region’s solar and wind resources to provide renewable energy around the clock.
Windlab and Eurus Energy are joint owners of the project, which will help power major Queensland Government sites through an offtake agreement with publicly owned CS Energy. CS Energy’s offtake agreement with Windlab includes 100 percent of the Kennedy Energy Park’s output.
As part of the November Regional Community Forum in Hughenden, Members of Parliament and a group of North Queensland locals toured the Australian-first Kennedy Energy Park.
Queensland’s Minister of Energy, Hydrogen and Renewables, Mick de Brenni, said that renewable energy projects such as the Kennedy Energy Park are an important part of the pipeline that will provide more jobs in many industries for North Queensland.
“Townsville businesses are lining up for clean energy to continue selling products to the world,” Mr de Brenni said.
“Innovative projects like this will help us secure Townsville’s heavy industry today and enable its continued growth in the future.
“We will make our power here in North Queensland and not rely on overseas oil and international markets affected by foreign wars.”
Queensland Minister for Jobs and Small Business, Di Farmer, congratulated joint owners Windlab and Eurus Energy on the project.
“The $160 million Kennedy Energy Park is part of a wave of renewable energy investment in North Queensland that has taken place under the Palaszczuk Government,” Ms Farmer said.
“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 large volumes of energy.”
“There will be about 170 good jobs supported during the construction of Kennedy Energy.
“The Palaszczuk Government is ensuring that renewable energy development takes place in a coordinated manner through our Queensland Renewable Energy Zones.”
Ms Farmer said the Palaszczuk Government would continue to support the renewable energy sector and the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan will drive investment in the renewable energy sector and support jobs across the state.
“The energy transition will drive investment and new opportunities in regional areas, with 70 per cent of future clean energy jobs expected to be in regional Queensland,” Ms Farmer said.
Queensland Assistant Minister for Treasury, Charis Mullen, said the project’s offtake agreement with CS Energy would help power the Queensland Government’s major sites.
“CS Energy provides renewable energy to Queensland Government Procurement through Power Purchase Agreements with various renewable projects in Queensland,” Ms Mullins said.
“This will help decarbonise our frontline services such as schools, hospitals and emergency services.”
CS Energy CEO, Andrew Bills, said CS Energy is proud to support large commercial and industrial customers, such as the Queensland Government, to add renewable energy to their loads.
“We have added more than 300MW of contracted renewable energy to our portfolio in recent years, including the nearby Hughenden Solar Farm owned by BayWa re Australia,” Mr Bills said.
“We continue to explore additional opportunities in response to strong interest from our customers and are investing in new energy assets including grid-scale batteries and renewable hydrogen.”
Windlab, CEO, John Martin, said that the Kennedy Energy Park is an important early step in the company’s ambition to deliver 20 percent of the new generation of green energy in Australia in the next ten years.
“The huge renewable energy potential in 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 are uniquely positioned to take advantage of this exciting opportunity to unlock the region’s potential, delivering benefits that can let’s share.
“We look forward to working with the Queensland Government to support the implementation of Queensland Energy and Jobs Planwhich will be key to putting downward pressure on energy costs, and achieving our state, national and global decarbonization commitments.
Queensland Member for Mundingburra Les Walker said it was good to see private investment in renewable energy.
“We know there are huge opportunities for wind, solar, batteries and hydrogen in North Queensland,” Mr Walker said.
“Projects like the Kennedy Energy Park will help create good jobs and help Townsville and the region grow into the future.”
Feature image: Queensland Minister for Employment and Small Business, Di Farmer, Queensland Assistant Minister for Treasury, Charis Mullen, and Member for Mundingburra Les Walker at the Kennedy Energy Park. Image: Queensland Government.
