On 13 September 2024, the Governor in Council approved the Queensland Coordinator-General’s recommendation to direct Queensland Hydro to undertake exploratory works for the Borumba Pumped Hydro Project through an amendment to the State Development and Public Works Organisation Regulation 2020.
According to the works regulation, Gympie and Somerset Regional Councils will not require development approvals for exploratory work activities. This is due to the pending development of their planning schemes, which have yet to be created to evaluate large hydropower projects or related works. A copy of the works regulation can be found here.
What does the work regulation cover?
The works regulation covers:
- Geotechnical investigations like boreholes and test pits.
- Exploratory tunnels and related tasks, including setting up stockpile areas.
- Access tracks, road enhancements, bridges, and other modifications to ensure safe site access.
- Excavation, filling, clearing, and necessary water management for the work (pending other applicable regulatory approvals).
- Any temporary or ancillary works related to these activities.
The works regulation also allows the Coordinator-General to facilitate works to support exploratory activities, using various functions and powers under the SDPWO Act, such as opening, closing, and rearranging roads to support road upgrades.
Although the regulation eliminates the need for development assessment in the Somerset and Gympie Regional Council’s planning schemes, most exploratory activities are classified as controlled actions that require assessment under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has yet to decide on the application for EPBC Act approval for these exploratory works.
The Queensland Government will also require further assessment and approvals for any activities that trigger assessable development under the Planning Regulation 2017.
A variety of management plans and assessments, such as a traffic impact assessment (TIA) and a social assessment and management plan (SAMP), will be submitted to the Queensland Coordinator-General and approved prior to the start of construction.
Why was this pathway chosen?
The regulatory approvals pathway for major infrastructure projects is complex, with many factors to consider. Since 2022, Queensland Hydro has been working with the Queensland Government on the approval pathway for the proposed Borumba Pumped Hydro Project.
During this process, it was identified that neither the Gympie nor Somerset Regional Council planning schemes were developed to assess development applications for large hydropower projects.
Queensland Hydro subsequently provided detailed submissions to the Office of the Coordinator-General about the scope of exploratory works. The Coordinator-General determined that a works regulation for exploratory works would be the appropriate pathway.
You can read more about works regulations on the State Development, Infrastructure and Planning website.
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