20 power projects worth more than A$12bn in investment are either in the planning and engineering phase with construction start dates in 2012 or later.
A major developer, ERM Power (Brisbane, Australia), is negotiating a power purchase agreement for its 500 MW, natural gas fired Braemar 3 power station. There are contracts in place with Siemens Australia (Melbourne, Australia) and John Holland Group (Melbourne, Australia), and ERM Power expects a final investment decision to proceed in the first quarter of 2013.
ERM Power also proceeded with plans to build Braemar 4 a year later, which, if constructed, will provide an additional 500 MW to the grid by 2017.
Windfarm projects represent the second-largest investment in Queensland's energy mix, the largest being the Kennedy Windfarm, which alone will cost more than $1bn in investment value.
Two biomass projects are on track to kick off in Queensland in 2012. While the developers, Darwalla Milling Company (Cleveland, Australia) and the North Queensland Bio Energy Corporation (Ingham, Australia), are not primary electricity producers, they have plans to deliver a combined 90 MW of renewable energy to neighbouring industrial facilities and the local grid by the end of 2014.
The 20 power projects in Queensland are a combination of grassroot and expansion projects and total more than 5,000 MW in proposed generation capacity. Two projects utilising integrated gasification combine cycle, a process that turns coal into gas, also are scheduled for kick-off in 2013.