Queensland’s renewable energy pipeline has received a boost with the Queensland Government’s approval of the Lotus Creek Wind Farm.

Following Epuron's submission of the Development Application in December 2021, the project was granted development consent by the Queensland Government's State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) on 3 May 2022.

Located between Mackay and Rockhampton, approximately 25 km west of St Lawrence, the site is in the Issac Regional Council local government area and within the proposed Central Queensland Renewable Energy Zone.

The ~$700 million project involves 55 wind turbines and associated infrastructure. It is expected to create up to 350 jobs during construction, 15-30 ongoing jobs during operation and generate ~341 megawatts of clean electricity.

Jessica Picton, project manager, said state approval is a huge step for the development.

“Receiving development approval from the Queensland Government is a significant milestone for the Lotus Creek Wind Farm,” she said. “This project represents an exciting opportunity for the central Queensland region to benefit from Australia’s clean energy transition.”

The application is yet to be approved under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and once that has been achieved the project will complete final development activities and start preparing for construction.

At this stage it is anticipated that the construction period will commence in mid-2023 and take 24-30 months.