- Construction works have begun with tunnel digging at a disused Kidston gold mine in Queensland.
- Contractors will convert the pit reservoirs to a pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant.
- Genex achieved financial close for the project in May 2021.
Genex Power Limited has launched construction activities at its 250MW Kidston pumped-storage hydro project in Queensland, Australia. The scheme involves the conversion of two former gold mine pits into reservoirs for the pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant.
“Building works have begun with tunnel digging at a disused Kidston gold mine”, Genex noted. The powerhouse will be equipped with two 125MW hydro reversible pump turbines by the Austrian technology group Andritz. The turbines will be used to generate electricity and pump water for energy storage.
The hydro project is a joint venture between McConnell Dowell and John Holland Group engineering sub-contractors, tasked with delivering the AUD 777 million project. Genex anticipates works on the main access tunnel to be concluded in the first half of 2022. The Kidston complex will become operational in the last quarter of 2024. The project will create the first such facility in Australia since 1984.