Business
18 December, 2024
McKinlay Shire mayor lobbying hard for CopperString substation
Janene Fegan says getting a substation is critical to the development of her shire's economy.
McKinlay Shire mayor Janene Fegan hopes an end-of-year trip to Brisbane was enough to persuade the new state government to include a Julia Creek substation in its CopperString rollout, which she says is crucial to ensuring major mining and agriculture projects can develop in the region.
Cr Fegan travelled to William Street this week to speak directly with new ministers about the need for a substation, which has been discussed in an unreleased government report completed by Powerlink earlier this year.
There are up to six substations planned along the 840km corridor linking Townsville and Mount Isa, however the current plan has a 400km gap between Hughenden and Cloncurry where there are no substations planned.
Cr Fegan said multiple local project proposals – including am industrial estate, cotton gin, extensions to a residential subdivision, up to six renewable energy projects and a critical minerals zone – were being hampered due to the lack of reliable power at Julia Creek. She said a substation located in McKinlay Shire that was connected to CopperString was the solution.
Following months of lobbying from McKinlay Shire, the former state government this year commissioned Powerlink to conduct a technical study to explore the delivery of enabling network infrastructure to communities along the CopperString corridor.
The final report, called the Critical Minerals and Renewables Enablement Study, is understood to have been completed and presented to the state government in August. It includes discussion and recommendations regarding the potential construction of a Julia Creek substation.
However, despite further lobbying from McKinlay Shire as well as repeated information requests from North West Weekly, the contents of the report are yet to be released to the public.
Powerlink major projects general manager Ian Lowry confirmed that the enablement study was currently sitting with the state government. He said a Julia Creek substation was not included in the proposed alignment inherited by the state government.
Changes to the initial alignment proposed when the state government took control of CopperString several years ago has been central to recent negative publicity about the overall $9 billion cost of CopperString.
“The (enablement) report looks at the long-term needs of customers along the entire corridor between Hughenden and Cloncurry – what we submitted was a consideration for the previous (state) government and now it is a point of engagement for us with the new government,” Mr Lowry said.
“A Julia Creek substation is not part of the current scope (of the CopperString project) so it would require additional funding and additional consideration from government.”
Cr Fegan said there was a “huge” interest in mining and agriculture development across McKinlay Shire that was being jeopardised due to the uncertainty over reliable power supply.
“If we don’t have reliable power and housing it is going to be very difficult for any of our other plans to happen,” she said.
“Powerlink have been communicating with us – they have obviously completed all the work they have been asked to do and are also waiting for answers from the government. We are just encouraging the state government to look at this report and do their due diligence – but if there is something in the report that considers long-term planning and how to open up all the critical minerals, then we hope it can be worked out.”