A NEW strategy designed to accelerate renewable energy projects in Queensland by attracting investors, creating new jobs, boosting local regional economies and securing the state as a global energy leader will be launched at Parliament House tonight.

The new strategy developed by the Queensland Renewable Energy Council shows more than 140 gigawatts of energy projects proposed in Queensland’s broader renewables pipeline[1], including almost 8GW of renewable generation and storage projects financially committed-to or already under construction, valued at more than $10.7 billion.

Much of it is located in, or targeted at regional or rural areas of the state.

If fully developed, 140 GW of renewable energy projects could power around 222 million homes  – or every home in Queensland for more than a century, QREC says.

QREC chief executive officer Katie-Anne Mulder said Queensland Renewables Growth and Investment Strategy provided the clarity and stability required to give investors confidence, while ensuring communities remain at the centre of the energy transformation.

“Queenslanders have known about the importance of renewable energy for decades; whether it has been the Southern Cross windmills to pump water on farms, bagasse from our sugar mills, or solar panels on the rooves of more than half of Queensland homes,” she said.

“On a larger scale, renewable energy offers much more for Queensland.  Already, almost 30pc of Queensland energy is generated from renewable energy,” she said.

“Queensland has the strongest renewable pipeline in Australia. But to turn projects into jobs, infrastructure and investment, we need clear, market-led strategies that give certainty to industry, communities, and investors.”

Ms Mulder said QREC was releasing the strategy to complement the Queensland Government’s work to develop its Energy Roadmap – expected to be released by the end of this year.

“This Strategy is the rubber hitting the Roadmap,” she said. “It’s the ‘how’ behind Queensland achieving economically-efficient emissions reduction.”

Flood of private capital for renewables projects

Last month, state treasurer and energy minister David Janetzki told a Budget Estimates hearing that his government wanted to see a flood of private capital coming toward renewables in Queensland.

“Queensland’s renewable energy story is not new.  But the new chapters are to be written now.  We must act now,” he said.

“This strategy provides a balanced plan that supports investment certainty, empowers regional communities, and ensures a reliable energy system for generations to come.”

Ms Mulder said the strategy would help secure the private capital Queensland needs, underpinned by three key pillars:

• refocusing the energy system for long-term reliability and affordability,
• partnering with regional Queensland for a coordinated, value-driven transition, and
• creating a world-class development framework.

Recommendations

Fifteen recommendations are set out in the roadmap for Queensland to deliver affordable, reliable and sustainable energy, while ensuring regional communities share in the benefits, Ms Mulder said.

They include:

Refocusing the Energy System for Long-Term Reliability and Affordability

• Developing a state government investment prospectus with clear milestones for coal retirements and clarity on the role of government-owned corporations.
• Redefining Renewable Energy Zones (REZs) as transmission coordination tools, with published timeframes and recognition of Readiness Assessments as social impact approvals.
• Establishing a state-level plan for end-of-life solar panels, including regional recycling hubs and early funding incentives.
• Providing targeted support for pumped hydro, with proactive site identification and a government–industry partnership model.

Partnering with Regional Queensland for a Coordinated, Value-Driven Transition

• Adapting the Developer and Investor Toolkit into a mandatory landholder Code of Conduct.
• Delivering an Integrated Energy and Agriculture Action Plan.
• Strengthening First Nations participation, embedding the Commonwealth’s First Nations Clean Energy Strategy, funding capability programs, and reviving Queensland’s Remote and First Nations Energy Strategy.
• Standardising Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) with per-MW annual contributions or fixed negotiated models.
• Exploring a centralised pooled community benefit fund for long-term regional priorities.

Creating a World-Class Development Framework to Unlock the Next Wave of Investment

• Expanding the Resources Cabinet Committee to cover energy, ensuring whole-of-government coordination
• Amending the Planning Act 2016 (Qld) to allow the Energy Minister to step in on projects critical to state objectives
• Streamlining approvals with an updated Commonwealth–Queensland bilateral agreement, published timeframes, and technology-specific processes.
• Developing fit-for-purpose mapping systems, including OSOM transport corridors and an energy project portal in GeoResGlobe.
• Establishing a Queensland Wind Farm Transportation Group to implement logistics recommendations.
• Creating a statewide decommissioning and financial security framework, led by Queensland Treasury, to cover all technologies fairly across their lifecycle.

Source: QREC