RURAL residents fear their community is becoming a renewables hub by stealth without consultation from the government.
Their concerns have been triggered after Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) listed 110ha of rural-zoned land at Lot 160 and 161 and 205-267 Lairhopes Road at Ebenezer as “greenfield land to support renewable energy projects”.
The property, nearby to a proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), has seven council overlays and is on a rural property that currently runs cattle.
The land is owned by EDQ and is intersected by Powerlink 275kV high voltage transmission lines.
EDQ documents spruiking the land stated: “Explore these leasing opportunities of rural-zoned greenfield land for your renewable energy projects.
“From the Sunshine Coast – one of Australia’s fastest-growing economies and populations – to Warwick in the West to Dalby west of Brisbane – where agricultural industry is thriving on rich earth – you will find reasons to build an industrial business in southern Queensland.”
A spokeswoman for Lower Mount Walker Community Action Group said the government had remained silent over the scheme.
“Where is the community consultation?” an Action Group spokeswoman said.
“For nine months of this year, Libra Energy has avoided public disclosure of their intended plans and has not held any formal community consultation.
“Why should residents find out the State Development Department is promoting our location to investors for solar, wind or BESS via an advertisement to proponents?
“This is not acceptable.
“We want State Development Minister Grace Grace to tell us what types of renewable energy projects she is encouraging for Ebenezer?
“And why is this advertisement in an area that is not one of the 12 Renewable Energy Zones.”
The Action Group has this year been fighting the prospect of agricultural land “being covered by a black sea of glass solar panels” via a Libra Energy solar proposal at Lower Mount Walker.
That original plan was put on ice and now seems set to become home to 1,147 shipping container-sized storage compartments of lithium batteries via a BESS at Blanchs Road.
A spokeswoman for EDQ said it had advertised the property for lease to “gauge market interest for suitable renewable energy projects such as solar generation, battery energy storage and associated high voltage connection infrastructure or a combination thereof”.
“The land is not specifically listed in the Queensland Renewable Energy Zone Roadmap (March 2024), however not all renewable projects are required to be within a Renewable Energy Zone,” the spokeswoman said.
State Planning Minister Grace Grace did not reply to our questions.
Property Rights Australia Chairman Jim Willmott said land at Ebenezer could well become a solar facility or BESS and become part of larger network of renewables in the area.
“What we are looking at is quite probably some sort of renewables hub being built because this land is very near to the planned Lower Mount Walker BESS,” he said.
“Our productive farmlands and wildlife habitats are disappearing before our eyes … rural land is unrenewable … once it’s gone, it is gone for good.”
