Artist’s impression of the Jumbun Microgrid
Jumbun microgrid project
We’re taking an innovative approach to improving the reliability of the electricity supply in some of our First Nations communities at the fringe of the electricity grid. With funding from the Queensland Government, we are building a low-voltage, network-connected microgrid at Jumbun.
The Jumbun community is in Far North Queensland between Townsville and Cairns, around 40km south-west of Tully. The community is located at the end of the powerline, and customers at Jumbun experience a higher-than-average frequency and duration of power outages.
In a Queensland first, Jumbun will be one of two communities whose electricity is supplied by the network on a day-to-day basis and have the ability to disconnect from the network and operate as a microgrid. This will allow it to run in an ‘island’ mode when there is a fault upstream, helping to improve the reliability and quality of the electricity supply for the community.
Keeping you informed
We’re committed to keeping the Jumbun community and all our other stakeholders informed as the project progresses.
We’re working closely with Jumbun Limited, as representatives of the Jumbun community, to design our engagement and ensure we are delivering great outcomes for the community.
You can keep up to date and provide feedback on the latest project activities through the following information.
Newsletters
Download our newsletters about the Jumbun microgrid project.
- Meet your Jumbun Microgrid Project Engagement Team (PDF 1.3 mb)
- Project Announcement - May 2025 (PDF 2.7 mb)
Subscribe for updates
Subscribe to Updates and select ‘Jumbun Microgrid’ in the Major Project drop down list. And you can add in ‘Keep me updated’ in the Your Feedback section.
Any personal information we collect about you will only be used and disclosed by us in accordance with our Privacy Statement.
Jumbun microgrid longitudinal survey
Have your say
As part of the Jumbun Microgrid Project, we’re running a series of longitudinal surveys to better understand how community views evolve throughout the life of the project.
A longitudinal survey means we’re checking in with community over time - before, during, and after the microgrid is built - to track changes in knowledge, attitudes, and trust. This helps us shape our engagement, improve communication, and ensure the project reflects what matters most to the local community.
You can find out more about the Jumbun Microgrid Survey (PDF 592.7 kb).
Win a prize pack
To encourage participation, we’re offering a deadly Resilience Prize Pack with each round of the survey.
To go into the prize draw, simply complete the survey.
Terms and conditions (PDF 127.2 kb) apply.
Videos
Introducing the Jumbun Microgrid Project
Skip to descriptionHi, I'm Karina. We're here at Murray Falls on Girramay Country. And hi, I'm Kate and we're from Ergon's community engagement team.
We're here at Jumbun, a small First Nations community just southwest of Tully. So over the next few months, you might see us around Jumbun. Come on up and have a yarn to us about the microgid project.
That's right, Karina. We're planning a whole bunch of events and activities throughout the project. So stay tuned to our videos where you'll find out all the information. If you want to register for project updates and to get invitations to our events and activities, check out the posters which are around the community or our website.
Thanks everyone. See you around the community.
Introducing the Jumbun Microgrid Project
Introducing our community engagement team for the Microgrid Project at Jumbun in Far North Queensland.
Jumbun Big Microgrid Yarn
Skip to descriptionWe're here at Jumbun on Girramay Country. We're meeting with some reps here at the community centre to have a bit more of a yarn about our big micro grid big yarning day.
That's right, Karina. The Big Micro Grid Yarn is a free event for all of the community to come on down to the hall on the 18th of February 2026. It's a Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. We'll have presentations and information. We'll have activities. We'll have giveaways. It'll be a great fun. You can sit down and have a yarn with the Ergon team over a BBQ dinner.
Wow, that sounds so deadly. Kate, I can't wait. I'm sure everyone will be there and ready to get all the information, have a look, have a listen, and learn some more.
So, I'm sure everyone's going to want to know all the details. Keep an eye out in your letter box for the flyers or the posters that we've got around the community. It's got all the information on there.
We hope to see you all in February at the Big Micro Grid yarn.
Jumbun Big Microgrid Yarn
Find out more about our Big Microgrid Yarn event to share news about an exciting project for the community of Jumbun in Far North Queensland.
The road to a microgrid for Jumbun
Skip to descriptionHi, I'm Karina. And hi, I'm Kate. We're here at the Ergon depot in Tully, Far North Queensland.
So Kate, what are we doing today?
Well, today I thought we'd head out to Jumbun where Ergon's building a low voltage micro grid. But before we go to community, I thought we'd go and check out where the power supply comes from and then along the way have a look at some of the things that can impact the power supply to community.
Okay, let's do it.
So Kate, what are we doing here at the Tully substation?
Well, Karina, I thought we'd check out where Jumbun's power supply comes from before we head down to the microgrid site. So, as the crow flies, the Jumbun community is located around about 25 kilometers southwest of us here at Tully substation, in the Cassowary Coast area.
But the power line doesn't follow a direct route to community. It has to supply other customers along the way. So, it's a bit longer. But as the locals at Jumbun will tell you, living up here in this absolute paradise does come with some challenges, including maintaining a reliable power supply to the customers at the fringe of the grid.
So I'm guessing that's where the Ergon microgrid project comes in. Yeah, that's right. So let's head down to community now and find out a bit more about the project.
We've arrived at Jumbun. Wow, isn't it beautiful here, Kate? So it is such a long way away from the substation. Sure is, Karina. The substation's around 40 kilometers away, and that power line is exposed to all manner of environmental factors, including wildlife, vegetation, and of course, all sorts of weather. And because Jumbun's at the end of the powerline, the community experiences every single outage on the line. And that's why we're trying a micro grid to improve the reliability of the electricity supply to the community.
So, wow, that is so exciting for the community. It is so deadly, I love it. If you want to find out more about the project and become involved in any of the activities, please go to our website and check it out.
That's right, Karina. And also keep your eye out for more of our videos where we'll answer your questions and tell you all about the project as it progresses.
Until next time, see you later.
The road to a microgrid for Jumbun
Our community engagement team hits the road to explain why Ergon Energy Network is building a microgrid in the First Nations community of Jumbun in Far North Queensland.
Photo gallery
Artist’s impression of the cabinets that will house the microgrid battery
Ergon Energy Network's project team met with Nicole from Jumbun Limited to talk about the project
Ergon Energy Network's community engagement team will lead project engagement with the Jumbun community
Microgrid team is working side‑by‑side with the Jumbun community
Key project information
Yes, it’s true, we are building a low-voltage, grid-connected microgrid at Jumbun.
A microgrid is a section of network containing one or many distributed energy resources, such as solar PV, wind, and battery energy storage systems, that can separate from the wider electrical network and operate autonomously when required.
In simple terms, the Jumbun microgrid is a battery, connected to the main electricity network, that can operate independently in ‘island mode’ to supply backup power when the main grid supply is disrupted or unavailable, like during network outages.
With advances in technology, microgrids are becoming intelligent energy systems, designed to be self-sufficient and to power the electricity needs of a discrete group of customers or small community like Jumbun.
Communities like Jumbun that are located at the extremity of the electricity network, experience power outages whenever there is a fault upstream of them along the length of the powerline. As a result, these communities face more frequent and longer outages. This is because of the length of the powerlines that supply their electricity, as well as a range of environmental factors, and because they are often in hard-to-reach locations which present access challenges for our crews responding to unplanned outages.
With advances in technology over the past decade or so, we can build a microgrid at Jumbun to improve the reliability of the power supply for the community.
There is a range of factors we need to consider when selecting a suitable site for the microgrid. These include having an area large enough to accommodate the microgrid battery, inverter, and communications equipment.
The site also needs to be clear of underground services and close to the main electricity network. Because of this combination of requirements, we have a limited range of suitable locations.
We have identified a suitable site near the existing electricity network in the road reserve adjacent to Murray Falls Road and opposite the sports ground. We are working closely with the team at Cassowary Coast Regional Council to finalise the requirements to secure the site for the microgrid.
The microgrid will comprise of a battery, inverter, and communications equipment, which will be mounted on a concrete slab and housed within a secure enclosure – see the artist impression images below.
The microgrid’s battery is made up of several smaller batteries, that are installed in specialised racks and work together to create a big battery – see example below. The batteries will be housed in the specially designed microgrid cabinet, which keeps the batteries and other equipment secure, while still allowing our team access to monitor and maintain the batteries as needed. The equipment in the cabinets will be temperature controlled and remotely monitored for optimal performance and safety.
Ergon Energy Network's Microgrid team install a battery unit into a big battery rack.
There may be an option to decorate the microgrid cabinet with artwork. We will be working in collaboration with the Jumbun community during the project to agree on a suitable design for the microgrid artwork.
While one of the key benefits of a microgrid is its ability to operate independently of the main electricity network, the Jumbun community will remain connected to the network on a day-to-day basis.
The primary purpose of the microgrid is to allow us the flexibility to separate the community from the main electricity network when there is an interruption to the power supply upstream and operate in ‘island mode’ when needed.
The project commenced in late 2023 when we secured funding and established our small project team. The project will be delivered in stages, as outlined in the Project Timeline, and will be completed by mid-2026.
Stage 1 - Preliminary Design (Oct 2024 - early April 2025)
Stage 2 - Battery Procurement (April 2025 - December 2025)
Stage 3 - Detailed Design (July - September 2025)
Stage 4 - Construction (November 2025 - April 2026)
Stage 5 - Commissioning (March 2026 - June 2026)
No, apart from seeing the microgrid equipment in the community, you won’t see changes to how electricity is supplied to you, or to your power bill.
When the project is completed and the microgrid is operational, you may notice that the reliability of the electricity supply at Jumbun has improved, as the microgrid will operate when there is an outage on the main electricity network.
Construction projects can be disruptive to the community and the microgrid may present some impacts. The types of impacts typically associated with the construction of a project like this include:
- Civil works – civil earth moving works to level the site and establish the microgrid’s foundations will be required in the construction phase.
- Noise, dust, and vibration – some audible noise, possible dust and localised vibration from construction activities can be expected.
- Construction traffic – a small increase in vehicles and equipment moving around the site during the construction and commissioning phases.
- Access and disruptions to traffic – from time to time during construction, we may introduce traffic control and/or speed limitations around the site to keep our crews and the public safe. This may include when heavy equipment is being delivered to site and is not expected to cause major delays.
There will also be positive impacts associated with the project including:
- Improved electricity reliability for the community.
- And the opportunity for the community to be involved in a range of planned activities and events throughout the project.
We anticipate the impacts associated with the construction of the Jumbun Microgrid will be very minor, and the project team will continue to keep the community and key stakeholders updated throughout the project.
Yes – Ergon Energy Network will own, and continue to operate and maintain, the new microgrid and the existing network assets.
BESS stands for Battery Energy Storage System, but they are commonly known as batteries.
They are a type of energy storage system, that uses batteries to store energy from the grid, to be used when it’s needed.
BESS come in various shapes and sizes, and they can use different technologies. They are like a rechargeable battery that can store energy from the grid and be used later when it’s needed.
In the case of the Jumbun Microgrid, the stored energy will be able to be used during power outages, like when Ergon needs to turn off power to safely work on the powerline, or during unplanned outages when there is a fault on the upstream network.
Batteries also help with smoothing the power output when the solar system is intermittent, like when a cloud passes over.
As part of the microgrid, the BESS will be connected to and charged by the existing electricity network.
The battery will be installed and maintained to the same high standard we would for any of our other electricity network assets. The operational practices for the batteries in the trial will also minimise the safety risks.
All chemical or energy infrastructure in the community, whether a petrol station or other electricity infrastructure, have some risks.
To address this, we will use the latest technology batteries and built the microgrid in a cleared area. The batteries and microgrid equipment will also be monitored remotely 24/7.
The likelihood of an incident is very low, however in the unlikely event the batteries’ alarms are triggered, we will have protocols in place to respond. Prior to commissioning the microgrid, we will engage with the local fire brigade and other emergency services, and we’ll have an appropriate Emergency Management Plan established.
The lithium-ion batteries we are using are expected to have a minimum life of 10 years, depending on how they are operated. They could have a life of up to 15 years.
Yes, batteries are already being recycled. We have several battery projects across Queensland, and we have engaged with an Australian recycling company to work with us to reduce our impact on country.
We will continue to review what is best practice, and our preferred recycler or recyclers, as our investment in battery technology continues to scale up.
We expect recycling services to evolve, potentially with economic opportunities for Queensland, as electric vehicle batteries drive demand for these services.
The batteries have cooling fans enclosed in the unit that will operate to keep the battery at the required temperature for safe operation. Although there is some noise emitted from the fans, the microgrid site is some distance from residents, so it’s unlikely the community will hear noise from the microgrid.
When new electrical infrastructure projects like the Jumbun Microgrid are discussed, many people ask about electric and magnetic fields (EMF). EMF are generated by any object with electric current flowing through it, including powerlines and all electrical appliances used in homes, such as televisions, washing machines, microwaves, hair dryers and computers.
The level of EMF from the microgrid batteries will depend on the amount of current in the units. The fields decrease in strength the further you move away from the source. We will be building the microgrid in a cleared location, well away from the Jumbun community.
The equipment Ergon uses and installs onto our network must comply with strict industry standards and our standards for EMF emissions continue to be better than those required by Australian and international health authorities.
We’ve got more detailed information on EMF and links to other relevant organisations on our Electric and magnetic fields web page.
Yes! Ergon’s community engagement team – pictured below - will be working with the Jumbun community and other key stakeholders throughout the project.
We will have a range of information, updates, and events to keep the community up to date on project progress and to explain how the microgrid will work.
Download a copy of the Frequently Asked Questions for the Jumbun microgrid project.
Our community engagement goal
We aim to provide the community with balanced and objective information to help in understanding the need for this project, our delivery approach and how it may affect people.
Our promise
We'll keep the local community informed, and we’ll acknowledge and consider any feedback.
We'll provide information in different ways including:
- project newsletters to directly affected customers and all who register for updates
- posting information on social media
- posting information on this website.
Project information and contact details
For more information or to provide us feedback, please contact the project team:
Email: NetworkProjectEngagement@energyq.com.au
Phone: 1300 653 055