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CopperString Project

Project overview*

EIS statusApproved with conditions
Description A high-voltage overhead electricity transmission line connecting the North West Power System to the state’s electricity grid.
Proponent Queensland Electricity Transmission Corporation (T/a Powerlink Queensland)
Location/s The transmission line would run from a new sub-station at Woodstock, south of Townsville, to the Chumvale sub-station, near Cloncurry. It would augment the powerline to Mount Isa and include a southern extension from Cloncurry to substations at Selwyn and Woodya. View map.
Local government/s
  • Mount Isa City Council
  • Cloncurry Shire Council
  • Mckinlay Shire Council
  • Richmond Shire Council
  • Burdekin Shire Council
  • Charters Towers Regional Council
  • Flinders Shire Council
Investment $1.75 billion
Key features
  • approximately 740 km overhead high voltage electricity transmission line from a new substation at Woodstock, south of Townsville to connect with the North West Power System, west of Cloncurry
  • augmentation of the powerline to Mount Isa and a southern extension from Cloncurry to substations at Selwyn and Woodya, increasing the transmission line for the project to approximately 1000 km six new substations
  • transmission towers every 500-600 metres
  • access tracks to the corridor and along its alignment, a minimum of four construction camps, site offices, laydown delivery areas and concrete batching plants
  • optical fibre network capability
Jobs
  • up to 750 full time equivalent (FTE) construction jobs
  • 30 FTE operational jobs

* Project information supplied by proponent and subject to change.

Environmental impact statement (EIS) process

DateActivity
11 November 2022Delegate for Australian Minister for the Environment and Water approval of controlled action ‘CopperString Transmission Line Project’ (EPBC 2019/8416) subject to conditions.
28 September 2022

Coordinator-General’s report on the EIS (PDF icon 16 MB) released.

Updated draft biodiversity offset management strategy (August 2022) (PDF icon 23 MB)  provided since final EIS to inform evaluation report on the EIS.

28 February 2022

The Coordinator-General accepted the draft EIS and the revised draft EIS as the final EIS.

Final EIS, including appendices.

12 January 2022 The proponent lodged an updated revised draft EIS
12 October 2021 The proponent lodged a revised draft EIS.
17 June 2021 Additional information for the EIS requested by the Coordinator-General.
23 February 2021 Coordinator-General stated a new project declaration lapse date of 4 March 2022.
21 December 2020 to 12 February 2021

Draft EIS on public consultation.

Draft EIS, including appendices.

4 September 2019 Terms of reference for an EIS (PDF icon 693 KB) released.
8 July to 2 August 2019 Draft terms of reference (PDF icon 647 KB) for EIS public consultation.
14 May 2019 Delegate for the Australian Minister for the Environment decided that the project is a 'controlled action'
26 April 2019 Gazettal of 'coordinated project' declaration (PDF icon 246 KB).
February 2019 Initial advice statement submitted (PDF icon 7.3 MB) submitted.

Read more about the EIS process.

Last updated: 19 Jun 2023