Construction of the initial temporary Rapid Deployment Camp (RDC) Borumba Pumped Hydro Project is complete, with up to 84 workers now able to live on-site.
Located within the project site, the Walkers Top RDC is now operational and is being used to accommodate around 30 of Queensland Hydro’s staff and contractors involved in early construction work on the site, including the preparations for a planned larger state-of-the-art Temporary Workers Accommodation Camp (TWAC). The TWAC will become the home away from home for the workforce involved in the exploratory works phase of the Borumba Project.
The Walkers Top RDC comprises of approximately 60 temporary buildings that have been delivered and installed on-site over the last few months.
Queensland Hydro Executive General Manager of Delivery, Geoff Scott, said this milestone represents a tangible step forward in the progress of the Borumba Project and delivers on commitments to minimise potential impacts on the community.
“For remote projects, it is very important to be able to accommodate your workers near where they work. Queensland Hydro has talked with and engaged with the community to ensure we understand local perspectives. We have considered these in our planning and we are actively seeking to reduce impacts on local housing and tourism accommodation and to reduce individual vehicle movements to our site where we can,” Mr Scott said.
“The Rapid Deployment Camp has been built to meet the immediate needs of our workforce, including the group who are commencing the construction of a larger temporary workers’ camp, which over time will be able to house up to 336 workers.”
The larger Temporary Workers’ Accommodation Camp for the exploratory works phase will contain a wellness room, gym facility, running track, social room and laundry facilities, making workers on the Borumba Project feel right at home.
“By progressively building temporary workers camps on-site now, we can sustainably accommodate the gradually increasing workforce, while at the same time reducing the need to occupy local accommodation and reducing individual vehicle movements in the regions,” Mr Scott said.
“Our camp is also providing the right conditions to look after the welfare and safety of our workforce by drastically cutting their commute times each day. This ensures we are managing fatigue and providing workers the opportunity to relax and recharge sooner after a long day’s work.”
Last year Queensland Hydro received approval from the Queensland Coordinator-General via a works regulation to construct the temporary workers’ accommodation camps.
Queensland Hydro’s current focus is delivering a refreshed business case and commercial assessment for the proposed Borumba Project that is aligned to the Queensland Government’s five-year energy roadmap strategy and meets the State’s future energy needs. The business case is expected to be completed by mid-2026.
The high-level program of work continues to focus on assessing the design to improve cost and schedule certainty and minimise any potential impacts on natural, cultural and community values.
In addition to early works being underway, we are continuing to seek regulatory approvals for the exploratory works phase of the Project. Exploratory works will include further investigations and development of the proposed site and will inform the final project design.
