There are plans to make a Sunshine Coast community one of the most energy efficient suburbs in the nation.
Queensland Energy Minister Mick de Brenni was at Aura on Sunday, to trumpet a $75m project in the growth corridor west of Caloundra.
“We know people are moving to places like the Sunshine Coast because of Queensland’s great lifestyle,” he said.
“This $75 million project will enable the future network to bring down power bills by integrating community and domestic batteries, electric vehicles, LED streetlights, and enormous amounts of rooftop solar.
“Some builders in the precinct have already made solar installations standard across all new builds, so as the community grows and new energy efficiency building design standards are adopted, we expect the uptake to increase rapidly,” he said.
SUBSCRIBE here now for our FREE news feed, direct to your inbox daily!
Member for Caloundra Jason Hunt said the southern Sunshine Coast continued to welcome new people and new industry and it was crucial the electricity infrastructure kept pace.
“This project will enable Energex to manage the additional load required to service the 20,000 home Aura development without risking supply to the region,” he said.
“This investment will ensure the southern Sunshine Coast continues to be a hub for residential growth and commercial development now, and well into the future.
“It will also support the jobs of hundreds of local workers and businesses with around $30 million in contracts to be put out to tender,” he said.
Sunshine Coast Council Acting Mayor and Division 1 Councillor Rick Baberowski welcomed the announcement.
“Just as expanding cities need additional water, transport and communication infrastructure, electricity is also an essential service,” he said.
“More than 40 per cent of the existing homes in the southern Sunshine Coast area have solar power systems installed, but we’d like to see that increase, along with the benefits of electric vehicles and batteries.
“This investment also allows up to 15 educational facilities and business centres to open up in addition to further development at the Sunshine Coast Industrial Park.”
The Minister said the SunSouth project would stretch 11km from Meridan Plains and finish at a new substation to be built at Bells Creek.
“When the new network and Bells Creek substation comes online, it will take significant load off the existing Caloundra substation,” he said.
“This will be particularly beneficial during severe weather events.
“Technical staff will be able to divert power between both areas, enabling faster restoration if storms or other unexpected issues interrupt supply.”
While on the Sunshine Coast, Mr di Brenni described this week’s unplanned shutdown at a major coal power station as “unfortunate”, as the opposition called for an independent probe into the failure.
All four units at the Callide power station, near Biloela, were knocked out on Friday following a series of accidents and equipment failures at the plant.
About the project
The SunSouth power project is a proposed $75 million, 21.5km double circuit 132,000-volt underground and overhead power network running from Meridan Plains to the Aura development, coupled with the new Bells Creek Central 60MVA zone substation located with the Aura development.
The project will be rolled out in stages, starting with preliminary, survey and design work in the coming months in addition to environmental, cultural heritage and vegetation assessments.
The main civil works are due to start in 2024, with the project expected to be completed early 2027.
The Caloundra South Priority Development Area covers 2310 hectares of land and sits between the Bruce Highway to the west and Bells Creek Road to the south.
Once developed, the Caloundra South PDA will provide about 20,000 dwellings, accommodating up to 50,000 residents and create 15,000 jobs.
