Belah BESS

The Belah BESS project is progressing through the development application approval process.  

The Planning (Battery Storage Facilities) and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation 2025 has recently taken effect on Friday 12^th December 2025. Given the changes, the development application, which had been lodged with Western Downs Regional Council in October, will now be made to the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA). The process to lodge an application with SARA is underway. The grid connection process is progressing with Powerlink.

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Belah BESS is co-developed by global storage specialist Eku Energy with offices in Sydney and Melbourne, and Australian based and owned LP Renewables Projects (LPRP) with over 40 years' experience developing wind power, solar and storage. Please also visit www.belahbess.com to learn more.

The site, located in the locality of Crossroads, is considered well-suited for a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) for several key reasons. The land is:  

• positioned on existing cleared land with limited agricultural use and outside of known flood risk areas  

• close to the existing Orana Substation, enabling efficient grid connection  

• set back from nearby private dwellings, reducing potential amenity impacts  

• located within a part of the energy network that already supports solar generation, gas infrastructure, and future wind development

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We are committed to transparent, open and proactive consultation with all stakeholders and the broader community. On November 12, we will host the first community consultation session at the Chinchilla RSL, Heeney Street, Chinchilla from 4-7pm.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to provide feedback on the project to date. The update below provides a summary of how community feedback has been considered so far. We look forward to continuing collaboration with the community as the project development progresses:

Project name: In response to community feedback the project will no longer be referred to as ‘Avenue Road BESS’. The project name has been changed to ‘Belah BESS’ from this time on.

Traffic: The findings of the traffic impact assessment identified that using State Roads during the construction period is preferred. Therefore, the majority of project related traffic during construction will access via the Kogan Condamine Road and Chinchilla Tara Road. Traffic on Avenue Road and other surrounding Council roads as such will be limited.

Noise: Noise modelling has been undertaken and confirmed that the site design will comply with State Government requirments (State Code 26).

Bushfire: The project team have been engaging closely with the area commanders of the RFS and Fire & Rescue Service and have commissioned a bushfire hazard report by a specialist bushfire consultant. A full fire safety plan, managed bushfire management zones and fire suppression systems will be implemented as part of the ongoing project development.

Location & land use: The BESS has been located a minimum of 2km away from the nearest dwelling and cannot be seen from any private properties or public roads. The BESS will make use of approx. 2% of the host property’s land, with existing agricultural operations able to continue along side.

Ecology: The BESS is situated in an open paddock which has traditionally been used for cattle grazing. Limited clearing of lower-value remnant vegetation will be required for the electrical connection to the Orana substation. The project has opted for an underground connection to minimise disturbance to vegetation and has been designed based on the outcomes of ecological surveys,

Community Benefits: The project intends to establish a community benefit fund. This is to ensure that the community which lives closest to the BESS share the benefits and we welcome feedback and input into how the funds are best allocated. A formal application program will be established and available from 2026 via www.ekuenergy.com/belah.

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