Two wind and battery storage projects which have been stuck in Queensland’s “call in” queue for the longest are moving forward, with the developer getting close to resubmitting a revised development application.
Queensland deputy premier and planning minister Jarrod Bleijie called in the 700 megawatt (MW) Marmadua Energy Park and the 1.32 gigawatt (GW) Middle Creek Energy Hub in June last year.
Letters sent to project owner Cubico demanded responses to questions around completed voluntary benefits agreements for both projects, even though those rules were only revealed in May, months after the original planning documents were lodged.
A year later, the developer has just finished social impact assessments for both wind projects and is now talking to the Western Downs regional council to sign community benefits agreements (CBA).
Both of these are required before planning applications can be lodged under the new rules set down last year.
