The Crisafulli Government has released its Energy Roadmap 2025, outlining a strategy to improve Queensland’s existing energy assets while planning for future generation and storage needs in the Australian state
The roadmap projects $26 billion in reduced energy system costs to 2035 compared with the previous early-closure plan, achieved through extending the life of state-owned generation assets, targeted maintenance investment, and greater private sector participation in new projects.
The plan provides clarity on the role of coal and gas in maintaining near-term reliability, while setting a framework for private investment in renewables and firming technologies such as batteries and pumped storage hydropower.
Under the roadmap, the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) will coordinate assessment and investment partnerships for future pumped storage projects including Borumba, Mt Rawdon, Big T, and Capricornia. Pumped storage is recognised as a key long-duration storage option to complement short-duration batteries and support system stability as renewable generation expands.
The roadmap also commits to a $1.6 billion Electricity Maintenance Guarantee to ensure the safe and reliable operation of coal, gas, and hydro assets, and to a $400 million Energy Investment Fund to attract private capital into new generation and firming infrastructure.
Treasurer and Minister for Energy David Janetzki said the plan “balances affordability, reliability and long-term sustainability” and is “based on economics and engineering, not ideology.”
For hydropower engineers, the roadmap confirms that while coal and gas will continue to underpin supply in the medium term, pumped storage nd conventional hydro will have an expanding role in providing system flexibility and firming capacity as Queensland transitions toward a more renewable energy mix.
