We're decarbonising our isolated communities
We’re working together for a cleaner energy future – reducing our isolated community’s reliance on fossil fuels, in line with a broader Queensland wide commitment to reach Net Zero by 2050.
It’s about caring for country, and the community, by powering tomorrow with clean, reliable, and affordable energy.
About our isolated communities
Our 33 isolated networks are microgrid systems (consisting of both generation and network assets) that supply electricity to 39 remote communities throughout western Queensland, the Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, throughout the Torres Strait, and on Palm and Mornington Islands.
These communities are situated in some of the most remote locations in Queensland and are not connected to the national electricity grid, or part of the National Electricity Market.
Traditionally, these communities have been powered by centralised power stations run on diesel generation. Generating electricity using diesel and transporting the diesel long distances and through environmentally sensitive areas, poses a range of environmental and economic challenges.
The projects profiled below are about doing our bit to improve the sustainability of our isolated electricity networks and supporting the Queensland Government’s renewable energy targets.
We are looking at ways to modernise and future-proof our isolated networks and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.
Our aim is to integrate more renewable generation, along with battery energy storage systems, into the community’s power supply.
Transitioning to renewable energy will reduce our reliance on diesel generation, and provide a positive, step-change for the environment. It will require new technologies, as well as community support, to find the right future solutions for a stable and reliable electricity supply for our isolated communities.
Customers in these remote locations will continue to only pay the same price for their electricity as Queenslanders across the state, as part of the Queensland Government’s Uniform Tariff Policy.
In the longer term, introducing renewable energy into Queensland’s energy mix, will help put downward pressure on electricity prices for all.
That’s just one of the benefits associated with decarbonising our isolated communities. Decarbonising our isolated communities will also:
- Investing in the power systems will ensure a reliable and secure power supply for the years to come.
- Providing clean, renewable energy will reduce greenhouse gas emissions – the two wind turbines on Thursday Island have generated 19,000MWh of renewable energy over their lifetime (with more now to come).
- An integrated system will allow greater access to the economic benefits of roof top solar.
- Supporting the electrification of the lives and livelihoods in these communities, which is rapidly occurring in our regional centres.
- Be good for the local environment as we reduce generating the electricity with diesel, and the associated air quality, fuel storage and transportation risks.
- And potentially other community benefits as we work together to increase employment opportunities, support self-determination, protect Country and benefit from First Nations land stewardship.
Ultimately, we’re focussed on supporting positive community outcomes, with environmentally and financially sustainable energy solutions, for each of our isolated communities.
Our current decarbonisation projects.
We will decarbonise our 33 isolated power stations progressively over time, starting these changes in 2024 in the following isolated communities:
- Boulia
- Burketown
- Doomadgee
- Windorah
FAQs
Read our FAQs for more information.
Get in touch with us
We are also engaging stakeholders now on potential solutions for our other isolated communities, so please do not hesitate to get in touch.
For more information or to provide us feedback, please contact our Community Engagement team:
Email: NetworkProjectEngagement@energyq.com.au
Phone: 1300 653 055