OUR PORTFOLIO

At CleanCo we are committed to delivering clean energy solutions that help our customers thrive in a net zero future, while supporting our communities to prosper through the energy transformation. 

We use our generating assets to supply reliable, affordable clean energy for Queensland’s industries and communities, supporting the clean energy transformation in a sustainable way that drives regional growth. 

Generating reliable clean energy 

CleanCo’s owned and operated generating portfolio includes Queensland’s only publicly owned hydro power stations and a highly efficient combined-cycle gas-fired power station. 

Combined, these assets have the capacity to generate a total of 1120MW of low-emission energy, providing Queensland industries with access to reliable clean energy even when there is no wind or sun. These assets are referred to as ‘firming’ generators. 

Nestled within the Barron Gorge National Park and the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area of Far North Queensland, the Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station was built on Djabugay Country. With the ability to turn water into 66MW of clean energy, it’s one of Queensland’s oldest and most reliable renewable energy assets.  

History 

The Barron Gorge Hydro that operates today is the second of its kind. The original Barron Gorge hydro opened in 1932 and had a capacity of 3.8 MW. As the region’s energy demands grew, it became clear a new power station with greater capacity was needed. The new Barron Gorge hydro was commissioned in 1963 and has played an important role in Queensland’s green energy needs ever since.  

How it operates

When it’s time to convert water into energy, the power station uses natural water inflows from the Barron River and if required, more water from Tinaroo Falls Dam.  

The water is captured at and then released from the Kuranda Weir, where it’s diverted underground to the two 33MW generators. When the water passes through these generators, it makes 66MW of clean energy which is equivalent to powering approximately 70,000 homes.  

Any water used in generation is released back into the river in the same pristine condition it entered the power station, making the Barron Gorge Hydro an accredited green generator.  

Kuranda Weir Recovery Project 

When Tropical Cyclone Jasper crossed the Queensland Coast in December 2023, the weather system saw extremely high water levels in the Barron River which caused significant damage to critical infrastructure at the Kuranda Weir. 

For more information on CleanCo’s plan to reinstate infrastructure at the Kuranda Weir, click here.

For the past 60 years the Kareeya Hydroelectric Power Station, situated on Jirrbal Country, has been taking advantage of Australia’s wettest area the Tully region of Far North Queensland. Utilising the abundant water resources from the Tully River and Koombooloomba Dam, Kareeya Hydro generates 88MW of clean energy and is a key player in helping Queensland industries to decarbonise 

History

Construction of Kareeya Hydro began in 1950, creating many local jobs and giving these workers and families a local place to call home, with the establishment of Cardstone Village in 1955.  

The village was home to 29 households, a post office and a school, and helped create a strong sense of community around the Kareeya Power Station. Similarly, Koombooloomba Village was created over at the Dam.  

Although the two sites are relatively close, access wasn’t easy due to the dense, rocky terrain with alternative routes taking as long as two hours. To shorten the commute, a cable car was built in 1973, measuring in at 852 metres long and 472 metres high. This cable car is still being used today to transport staff from the power station up to the dam and takes less than 15-minute journey.   

How it operates

Beginning at the Koombooloomba Dam, water flows through Koombooloomba Hydro (7MW) then down to Kareeya Hydro, where it goes through four powerful 22 MW generators to produce a total of 88MW.  

After the water has been used, it’s released back into the Tully River in the same pristine condition as when it entered the power station.  

Situated near Fernvale in the Somerset Region of South East Queensland, the Wivenhoe Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Station is currently the only one of its kind in Queensland. Generating 570MW of clean, reliable energy, Wivenhoe Power Station is CleanCo’s largest energy generator. 

History 

Both Wivenhoe Power Station and Wivenhoe Dam were built at the same time and commissioned in 1984.  

Wivenhoe Power Station holds two Francis type turbines and at 250MW each, they are Australia’s largest, weighing an incredible 1,500 tonnes each.  

The Wivenhoe Dam reservoir holds double the capacity of Sydney Harbour, and about seven times the capacity of the Gold Coast’s Hinze Dam. 

How it operates

Water is pumped from Wivenhoe Dam, uphill to the Splityard Creek Dam.  

This pumping activity generally takes place during the day when solar output is high and power prices are at their lowest. The water is then stored in Splityard Creek Dam until it’s required to support energy generation during peak demand times.  

In this way, Wivenhoe Hydro acts like one giant rechargeable battery, with the ability to quickly generate electricity. With a volume of 28,700 megalitres, Splityard Creek Dam has the capacity to support up to 10 hours of continuous power generation.

Just outside of Ipswich, on the edge of Swanbank Lake, sits Swanbank E Gas-fired Power Station. Once part of a precinct of coal-fired power stations, Swanbank E remains the only operating asset on the site and one of Queensland’s most efficient renewable assets, generating 385 MW of low-emission energy.

History 

Commissioned in 1963, Swanbank A was the first of four coal-fired power stations with Swanbank B commissioned in 1971, C in 1969 and D in 1999.  All four power stations have been decommissioned with the Swanbank B the last to be decommissioned in 2010. 

What sets Swanbank E apart from its coal-fired predecessors is that it is powered by an Alstom GT26 Gas Turbine, which produces less than half the greenhouse gas emissions and at the time of commission in 2002, was Australia’s largest gas turbine.  

It also broke the world record in 2011 for continuous operation, running for 254 days straight prior to shutting down for planned maintenance.  

How it operates

The Alstom GT26 is a single shaft machine where a Gas Turbine and Steam Turbine are connected to a single generator. 

The gas turbine generates up to 240 MW of power and exhaust waste heats through a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) which produces steam energy sufficient to generate up to a further 145 MW of power via the steam turbine. Swanbank E receives gas from multiple sources in the Surat Basin including the Kogan North gas field near Dalby, which CleanCo jointly owns with Australia CBM Pty Ltd and Arrow CSG. Gas travels from the Surat Basin to Swanbank E via the Roma to Brisbane pipeline.  

To minimise environmental impact, Swanbank E uses recycled water for all the station’s cooling needs.

Swanbank E receives gas from multiple sources in the Surat Basin including from the Kogan North gas field, located near Dalby. This gas field is jointly owned by CleanCo, and Australian CBM Pty Ltd and Arrow CSG (Australia) Pty Ltd (together the Arrow JV Parties). CleanCo has 50 per cent ownership in the Kogan North gas field and Arrow Energy Pty Ltd is the current joint venture operator of the Kogan North development program. Gas sourced from the Surat Basin travels to Swanbank E via the Roma to Brisbane pipeline.

Our contracted renewable energy projects

CleanCo is supporting new renewable energy projects across Queensland through Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) and Capacity Purchase Agreements (CPA). These commitments contribute to achieving our target of 1400MW of new renewable energy by 2025 and support the Queensland Government’s 50% Renewable Energy Target by 2030.


What is a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)?
CleanCo purchases (offtakes) an agreed amount of energy generated by a renewable energy project at a dollar per MWh price. We then on-sell this energy as part of competitive retail agreements to our large commercial and industrial customers to support them in achieving their sustainability objectives.


What is a Capacity Purchase Agreement (CPA)?
CleanCo purchases 100 per cent of the energy generated by a renewable energy project at a fixed annual price and is appointed as the market intermediary. As the market intermediary, CleanCo assumes generation dispatch rights meaning we can integrate the energy generated with our portfolio of assets and dispatch it in line with our trading strategy, providing further opportunities to support competitively priced customer contracts. The asset continues to be operated and maintained by the project owner.

 

Ideally located in the North Queensland Renewable Energy Zone, the Kaban Green Power Hub near Ravenshoe (80km south west of Cairns) includes a 157 MW wind farm as well as transmission upgrades executed by Powerlink which will improve system strength in the region.

CleanCo has signed a capacity purchase agreement with Neoen for 100 per cent of the renewable energy to be generated by the Kaban Green Power Hub. This arrangement allows CleanCo to integrate and dispatch the energy generated by the wind farm as part of the CleanCo portfolio. The asset will be owned, operated and maintained by Neoen.

The project supported around 150 construction jobs and an additional 97 jobs for transmission network upgrades and provides a revenue source for local farmers hosting the turbines. 

Find out more about the Kaban Green Power Hub.

Situated 50 kilometres south west of Warwick in South West Queensland, the MacIntyre Wind Farm is being delivered by ACCIONA.

CleanCo has committed to purchasing 400MW through a power purchase agreement resulting from the Queensland Government’s Renewables 400 initiative.

The project will support up to 400 jobs and invest over $500 million in the regional Queensland economy.

The MacIntyre Precinct is expected to be operational in 2025.

View project flyover here.

CleanCo has purchased 320 megawatts of new renewable energy generated by Neoen’s Western Downs Green Power Hub project situated approximately 22 kilometres south-east of Chinchilla.

The project includes Australia’s largest solar farm and generated up to 400 jobs and 400 megawatts of new renewable energy for Queensland.

Find out more about the Western Downs Green Power Hub.

Located 8 kilometres east of Dulacca in Queensland’s Western Downs region, is the Dulacca Renewable Energy project which includes a 180MW wind farm with potential to power more than 120,000 Queensland homes.

CleanCo has agreed to purchase 126MW or 70 per cent of the renewable energy generated by the wind farm.

The project, owned by Octopus Australia, supported up to 150 jobs and generate more than $400 million in economic activity for regional Queensland.

Find out more about the Dulacca Renewable Energy project.

 

Information for potential development partners

In line with our mandate, CleanCo is focussed on pursuing opportunities that will support the energy transition in Queensland and facilitate jobs and economic growth in regional Queensland.

In addition to integrating competitively priced renewable energy into the grid in a reliable way, we are supporting flagship, low-emissions industrial precincts where our globally competitive clean energy attracts traditional and emerging industries to stay or grow in Queensland. Because we are focused on improving energy affordability for Queensland today, we are interested in technologies that have been proven at commercial scale. 

If your project aligns with these strategic objective and has reached the stage of pricing an offtake, we would be happy to discuss your proposal with you. 

Please send your contact details and a detailed overview of your proposal to info@cleancoqld.com.au. If your proposal is in line with CleanCo’s commercial strategy and broader objectives, a member of the Development Team will be in contact.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, CleanCo Queensland Limited ABN 85 628 008 159 (CleanCo) makes no representations or warranties and accepts no liability as to or in relation to the accuracy or completeness of the information on dam levels displayed on this website. You should not rely on the information contained in the dam level table. You should make your own enquiries and obtain your own independent advice with respect to the use and accuracy of the dam level information provided or referenced on the CleanCo website. The dam level information contained on this website is subject to copyright and if you wish to make use of the dam level information you should contact CleanCo to obtain a licence.