A $483 million project that has been over 20 years in the making and was forecast to deliver water security for our region, has been axed following the Federal Budget which was announced on Tuesday night.
Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox says he is disappointed to see the Urannah Dam project on the chopping block.
“Urannah Dam is planned and ready to go. It’s a dam shame,” Mr Willcox said.
“It was the only dam that has been through Infrastructure Australia and has private equity partners ready to go.
“Urannah Dam ticks all the boxes, provides water for agriculture, tourism, mining, and urban use as well as pumped hydro which will put clean, green electricity directly into the north south grid.”
Member for Whitsunday, Amanda Camm, agrees saying that Urannah Dam would have provided a secure water supply.
“This project is one of the most advanced in approvals for our State and it's a deceptive move by the Government to not support this project,” she said.
Meanwhile the Mackay Conservation Group say they welcome the government’s decision to stop the project.
“This project has the potential to damage our region’s precious waterways, the Great Barrier Reef and wildlife while returning as little as 26 cents in economic benefits for every dollar it costs,” said Mackay Conservation Group dams campaigner, Imogen Lindenberg.
“The water from the Urannah Dam will be used to wash coal but the industry in our region has a limited lifespan.
“Without demand from coal, this dam will become a stranded asset in decades to come, costing taxpayers even more money.”
Meanwhile, the state government recently announced a new pumped hydro project in the Pioneer Valley, just north of Mackay.
While it is set to supply 50 per cent of the state’s renewable electricity, it will also displace local residents with the need to remove 50 houses in a small rural area called Netherdale.
Mr Willcox suspects the hydro project is an unsubstantiated decoy.
“Labor’s Pioneer-Burdekin Project is nothing more than a thought bubble that is set to wipe out local homes,” he said.
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