Queensland approves 100 MW Hookey Creek solar farm

The project will also have a battery energy storage facility.

Queensland has approved the 100 megawatt (MW) Hookey Creek solar farm, which will have the capacity to energise 40,000 households.

In a statement, authorities said the project, located 25 kilometres northwest of Gympie, will also have a 200 MW battery energy storage system with up to 8 hours of storage capacity.

The solar farm will connect via underground cables to the Queensland SuperGrid, with energy traded on the National Electricity Market. It will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions up to 208,000 CO2-e tonnes each year, equivalent to taking around 75,000 passenger cars off the road.

“Since 2022, the Albanese Government has given the green light to 90 new renewable energy projects — enough to power more than 11 million Australian homes,” said Minister for the Environment Murray Watt.

“This new solar farm is another important contributor, and its approval process took just 17 days,” he added.

The Hookey Creek project alone will support up to 264 direct jobs in construction and several ongoing positions.