News & Resources

The coal-fired power stations owned by the Queensland Government’s Stanwell and CS Energy will never make a profit again after 2023-24. Queensland Conservation Council forecast the future generation, costs and revenues of Stanwell and CS Energy to 2024-25. 

Rooftop solar and large-scale renewable energy are changing the electricity market, pushing wholesale prices down and displacing generation from coal fired power stations.  

Based on our analysis, CS Energy would never have made a profit after this year, even before the explosion at Callide C4. After 2023-24, the Queensland Government owned generators of CS Energy and Stanwell will post an operating loss. This means the Queensland taxpayers will be forced to subsidise dirty coal generation to keep the companies alive.

This report sets out the analysis and assumptions made around the cost and revenue streams of CS Energy and Stanwell including wholesale energy sales, retail revenue, forward contracts, coal revenue sharing, power station maintenance and operating costs. 

Read the full report below:

Recognising that addressing climate change is at the heart of efforts to protect and conserve Queensland’s unique biodiversity and ecosystems, Queensland Conservation Council prepared a 2018 report providing a critical analysis of Queensland’s Climate Transition Strategy and associated emissions reduction and renewable energy targets to determine if current policies and actions are enough to transition the state’s economy to zero net emissions by 2050. 

The five chapters of this report work to answer five key questions, including:

1. How will Queensland’s commitment to zero-net emissions by 2050 be translated into practice?

2. Do published business as usual (BAU) emissions scenarios for electricity and transport provide a realistic outlook on which to base Queensland’s transition planning?

3. What needs to happen to transition Queensland’s energy and transport sectors to zero-net emissions?

4. What are some transition opportunities and challenges facing regions and communities and what can be done
to facilitate a Just Transition?

5. Is climate change legislation needed to get Queensland to zero-net emissions?

Read the full report below!

QCC’s Deputy Chair Sherie Bruce, a proud Arrernte woman of Mparntwe (Alice
Springs) shares the importance of this year’s NAIDOC Week theme, ‘Heal Country’.

NAIDOC Week occurs annually each July, where the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are celebrated by Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. This year, NAIDOC Week runs from July 4 to July 11.

The theme for 2021 is Heal Country; which encourages embracing First Nations peoples cultural understanding and knowledge of Country as part of their personal identity and Australia's national heritage. 

The English word ‘Country’ is a belief system that goes far beyond the Western definition. For Australian First Nations ‘Country’ means our family, kin, law, ceremony, traditions, language, nature, and land are all interconnected. Country includes landforms, air, plants, waters, knowledge, and special places. Every community in each Nation has custodial responsibilities to care for their Country and is central to our spirituality and identity. 

Healing is a change, a change in each person and our nation. Beginning with recognition of other cultures different to yours, recognition of Australia’s past history. The Healing continues with accepting that past and walking together with Australia’s First Nations.

Healing Country means embracing First Nation’s cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia’s national heritage.

Please take the time to learn more about Australia’s First Nations and support them in protecting and Healing Country.

https://www.protectcountrynt.org.au/
https://www.seedmob.org.au/ban_fracking

Waratah Coal, a company owned by Clive Palmer, is seeking development approval for the new 1,400 MW coal fired Galilee Power Station in central Queensland.  

If it goes ahead, electricity from the Galilee Power Station will cost at least $100/MWh. This is likely an underestimate as it would be extremely vulnerable to increased costs from finance, as fewer investors are willing to back risky new coal, and carbon prices over the four decades of its potential operation.

$100/MWh is already 35% higher than 2020-21 prices and is nearly double the cost of electricity from building new renewable energy and storage.

The Galilee Power Station would emit over 230 megatonnes of carbon dioxide and eat up more than 20% of Queensland's carbon budget to meet our Paris Agreement commitments.

Queensland doesn’t need extra energy or capacity from an inflexible, polluting coal fired power station at Alpha. We need investment in clean and cheaper renewable energy and storage for the future.

Read the full report