US engineering company Bechtel will support planning for proposed Queensland pumped hydro and energy storage facility, Big-T, at Lake Cressbrook in the state’s southeast. The project involves a 400 MW pumped hydro facility with 10 hours of storage and a 200 MW/200 MWh battery system.
Big-T was shortlisted in the former government’s now seemingly abandoned UNGI scheme
Image: BE Power
Big-T, as the Queensland long duration storage facility is called, aims to be an “enabler” of the state’s solar and wind build out – storing and firming asynchronous renewable power generation and feeding it back into the National Electricity Market.
Melbourne’s BE Power, who is codeveloping the facility with GE Renewable Energy, a division of US giant General Electric, has selected engineering company Bechtel to support the project. Bechtel will be involved in the project’s ongoing bankable feasibility study and, if it is given the green light, the company will then go on to engineer, procure, and construct Big-T.
The project’s final investment decision scheduled for late 2023.
The project seems to have spent quite a while in the woodwork, having been one of 12 projects shortlisted by the former Coalition government for its Underwriting New Generation Investments (UNGI) scheme back in 2019.
It doesn’t look like there has been much movement on that scheme since – which, alongside Big-T, shortlisted five gas projects and a coal project to participate.
Nonetheless, Big-T seems to be pushing on alone, located in Queensland’s domiciled Renewable Energy Zone 8 (QREZ8).
“We are pleased to secure the services of the global construction infrastructure leader Bechtel,” BE Power managing director, Scott Walkem, said. “Bechtel has significant expertise in the delivery of power infrastructure including hydropower. Further, Bechtel and GE have a long history of working collaboratively to deliver energy projects.”
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