WHERE IS IT?
The Mount Challenger site is located approximately 28km southeast of Bowen and 28km northwest of Proserpine within the Whitsunday Regional Council.
The site we’re exploring is predominantly used for cattle grazing - which would continue around the proposed infrastructure. We’ve identified this location based on its strong wind resource and proximity to existing transmission lines and large energy users.
About the region’s Traditional Owners
The Ngaro People inhabited the Whitsunday Islands and coastal bays and the Gia People inhabited the area around Proserpine. We acknowledge the Gia and Ngaro People as the Traditional Owners of the lands and waterways in the Whitsunday Regional Council.
About the local economy
This region has a strong tradition in mining, being home to Queensland’s oldest coal mine at Collinsville. Glencore and QCoal are the major current operators, producing both coking and thermal coal, much of which is exported through the Port of Abbot Point at Bowen.
Beyond the traditional industries of agriculture, sugar, mining and tourism, new industries are emerging. Tassal, the largest producer of salmon in Australia, is creating its largest prawn farm in Australia near the proposed site. This is creating a significant aquaculture industry for the region, which will double prawn production in Queensland.
Powerlink has also opened the interim Gladstone SuperGrid Training Centre and Transmission Hub, providing workers the critical skills needed in Queensland’s energy transformation.
Explaining the wind profile
Mount Challenger’s wind generation has what we regard as an ‘attractive’ daily profile. This is because the energy generated from the wind farm at either end of the day matches with peak energy demand times across the energy grid.
