Borumba Pumped Hydro position

Borumba Dam Pumped Hydro proposal

While the investment in renewable energy and storage is welcomed, the proposal to build a pumped hydro power plant at Borumba Dam in the Sunshine Coast hinterland may have a significant impact on the region’s biodiversity values. 

The proposal is located in the Mary River catchment and involves building a new dam at a higher altitude as well as expanding the existing dam. While little information has been provided it will affect existing national parks, aquatic habitats, native vegetation, threatened species and downstream water flows.

Although it’s absolutely essential that we build publicly owned energy storage to enable a transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030, this must not come at the expense of threatened species and environmental values.

A first step in gaining community support for the proposal is to ensure the assessment of environmental impacts potentially caused by the proposal are thorough, which takes into consideration matters of state and national environmental significance.