Queensland Premier reveals giant energy agreement with PNG
Queensland Premier Ana Bligh said on Wednesday that the state is poised to get a huge amount of green energy source in the next 10 years once the proposed multi-billion hydropower project in Papua New Guinea is realised.
The planned power facility would see Queensland tapping its electricity grid from Townsville through undersea cable that leads to the energy plant in PNG and this would be possible once the PNG government has been assured of a steady baseload customer.
Ms Bligh said that the baseload clients could be provided by Queensland, stressing that the partnership between the two governments would benefit both PNG and the state as she added that "this would be the biggest shot in the arm for regional Australia since the Snowy Mountains river scheme."
The premier said that her government is all set to seal a memorandum of agreement with the PNG government as she informed the state parliament that "the project could in its first phase generate 1,800 megawatts of renewable, baseload electricity, with 1,200 megawatts capable of travelling via undersea cable to Weipa and potentially plug directly into Townsville as early as 2020."