Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro project's access to Paradise Dam water draws criticism from Bundaberg irrigators

A recent $3.34 billion proposal from Mt Rawdon Operations Pty Ltd and ICA Investment Services Pty Ltd, indicated their intentions to develop and operate a new pumped hydro electricity generation facility through the repurposing of the mine pit created by the existing Mount Rawdon Mine, near Mt Perry.

The report outlines how the Mt Rawdon project will require the construction of a dedicated pipeline from Paradise Dam to the mine pit, so that 15,295 ML of 'reserved' water from the Burnett River in the Bundaberg Water Supply Scheme and 6,300 ML in the Upper Burnett Water Supply Scheme can be accessed.

Related reading: Water concerns as North Burnett pumped hydro facility moves forward

Water required during construction and operations is likely to be sourced from within the mine's existing water entitlements from Perry Weir and Paradise Dam.

Water will then be used as part of a pumped hydro scheme which hopes to provide hydroelectric power to the grid.

The proposal has been met with criticism from the local Bundaberg farming community, with farmers fearing the project could impact on the reliability of the Bundaberg irrigation system.

Childers cane and soybean farmer, Judy Plath is concerned about the water security of Paradise Dam, as state government-owned SunWater are currently releasing water to begin repairs on the dam wall.

"Who knows how long it will take to repair Paradise Dam and then how long it will take to refill?" Ms Plath said.

"The Mt Rawdon project is seeking to use the reserve water in 2028, at which time the water level in Paradise Dam could be very low.

"The Bundaberg region experienced its lowest announced allocation (AA) in many years in 2021, when growers were only allowed to access just 22 per cent of their water.

"What's to stop us finding ourselves in that situation again, especially if the reserve water is given away to a large industrial user?"

Local macadamia grower, Michael McMahon is also concerned for the future reliability of Paradise Dam.

Mr McMahon fears Bundaberg's reputation as a reliable farming district and future agriculture investment in the region could be at risk if this project were to go ahead as planned.

"Irrigated agriculture in the Bundaberg region generates hundreds of millions of dollars of income for the Queensland economy every year and supports thousands of local jobs," Mr McMahon said.

"Bundaberg is experiencing record investment in irrigated agriculture at the moment.

"These companies are choosing to invest in the Bundaberg region because of its strong reputation for good soil, good climate and, most importantly, water security.

"If we don't have good rainfall in the Burnett catchment during the rebuilding period for Paradise Dam, the water that is being released cannot be replaced."

Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro project's belief that it did not need to submit an Environmental Impact Statement to the state government was also met with harsh criticism from the local farming community.

"The EIS process gives the general community an opportunity to comment on the details of their proposal," Mr McMahon said.

"Given the complexity of the project, and the potential risks to the region arising from the proposal, I was very pleased to see that the Coordinator-General decided to require an EIS for the project."

A number of local farming groups have written to the Queensland Coordinator-General this week, calling on the requirement for detailed modelling to demonstrate that taking the reserve water won't impact on the water security of local irrigators in the region.

As part of the Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydo project, an electricity transmission line and substation, connecting the generation facility to the existing Powerlink transmission network would also need to be constructed.

Bundaberg Ag-Food & Fibre Alliance has also called for a detailed modelling on potential impacts it could have on the local farming community.

BAFFA argued the project could have potential yield implications on Paradise Dam and negative impacts on Medium Priority allocation holders in the Bundaberg Irrigation area.

"From our rudimentary understanding of the modelling of the system it is highly unlikely that the 24,000 ML could be accessed without impacting medium priority allocation holders (Irrigators) in the Bundaberg Regional Council Area given the current interim full supply level of Paradise Dam," the submission read.

"We request that detailed modelling on potential yield and impacts on announced allocation be undertaken and provided to existing Medium Priority holders in the Burnett segments of the Bundaberg Irrigation area."

BAFFA also noted their main omission to the project was the impact of the proposed transmission line on agricultural values, operations and productivity in the region.

"The study area for the Transmission Line component of the Project was identified through a desktop constraints analysis, the objective of which was to identify engineering, environmental and social constraints between the Mt Rawdon mine site and the proposed Morganville substation," BAFFA's submission read.

"The selection of the study area addressed the key environmental and social risks that have potential to constrain transmission line routing, including: biodiversity sensitivity, social sensitivity, and ground conditions.

"We request that this impact be assessed and communicated to all landholders likely to be impacted."

Queensland Country Life approached the office of the Coordinator-Generald for comment regarding the Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro project, but they declined to answer specific questions.

Instead, the office issued a statement stating the Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro project was a coordinated project and that draft terms of reference for EIS comments were currently being assessed.

"The draft terms of reference for the project's EIS was released for public consultation on 4 March 2023 and closed on 11 April 2023," the statement read.

In December 2022, the Office of the Coordinator-General described water as a "key issue" to be assessed as part of the pumped hydro project's "rigorous" environmental impact statement.

In a statement from Sunwater a spokesperson said while "dealings with current or prospective customers are commercial-in-confidence," now both levels of government are committed to restore the dam, the organisation would reconsider water sales in consultation with all interested parties.

"Customer feedback will allow us to determine if water sales should occur prior to finalisation of the remediation of Paradise Dam."

The Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro website states operation is scheduled for 2029.