Monduran BESS

The Monduran 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 Bundaberg Regional Council in August, 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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We are committed to transparent, open and proactive consultation with Bundaberg Regional Council, local stakeholders, community members and near neighbours to share information about the proposed project.

In April 2025, the project team visited nearby neighbours to personally introduce the project, followed by a community drop-in session on June 26 at the Gin Gin Community Hub which were great opportunities to speak with local residents about the development process of the project as well as any potential risks and mitigations measures. We will continue to visit Gin Gin and surroundings over the next months to provide updates on the progress of the project.

Aside from more secure energy supply at a time when electricity consumption is ever increasing while energy infrastructure is aging, Monduran BESS will establish a benefit sharing program to support local not-for profits and fund projects or initiatives of importance and value to the local community that align with and have a positive impact on the environment, social connectedness as well as employment and education. We welcome your input on the scope and priorities of what is required.

In due course, we will invite local not-for-profits and community organisations to contribute to the program design that we call Powering Big Dreams by getting in touch and applying via this website.

Monduran BESS will be specifically designed to manage and mitigate fire risk and will include comprehensive safety features within both the hardware and softare technology. Monduran BESS will use lithium-ion battery cells which to date is the safest technology for such projects. In the highly unlikely event of a damaged or faulty battery cell, thermal runaway may occur which is an overheating of the cell that can lead to a chemical reaction. To mitigate this potential fire risk, Monduran BESS will be equipped with industry leading safety systems that continuously monitor the project to the detect, isolate and alert the operators for any potential anomalies.

As part of our commitment to safety and environmental responsibility, a comprehensive Bushfire Hazard Assessment and Management Plan has been completed for the Monduran project. In addition, a detailed Fire Safety Study has been commissioned to guide the development and operation of the site. The Monduran BESS site has been designed with a strong focus on fire risk mitigation. Key features include:

- Asset Protection Zones: Strategically planned areas to reduce fire intensity and protect critical infrastructure.

- Fire Detection and Protection Systems: Advanced systems will be installed to detect and respond to fire incidents promptly.

- Dedicated Firefighting Water Supplies: On-site water resources will be available to support firefighting efforts in case of a bush fire.

We have actively engaged with the Queensland Fire Department (QFD) and will continue to collaborate with both the QFD and the Rural Fire Services (RFS) throughout the development and operational phases of Monduran BESS. A comprehensive Risk Management Plan will be developed to ensure the safe operation of Monduran BESS.This plan will meet the guidelines set by the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC), which provide best-practice protocols for managing incidents involving BESS technology.

We undertook a comprehensive review of available surface water information, including climate and rainfall conditions, topography and drainage, waterway and wetland characteristics, surface water catchment extents, land use and vegetation coverage. Due to the local topography and surface drain elevations, the project site is hydraulically disconnected from the Tableland Creek which drains into Lake Monduran. As such, surface and stormwater run-off is not expected to contribute to Lake Monduran baseflow and the site is not considered to be at risk of flooding.

During a stormwater event, the Monduran BESS site is designed to discharge stormwater at the pre-development rate to ensure the increase in run-off intensity will not affect the downstream infrastructure and natural drainage courses. Excess water will be temporarily stored in a stormwater retention pond and then discharged at the pre-development flow rate. The Monduran BESS design will incorporate a filter system to ensure the only clean water enters the stormwater drainage system before being discharged from the site.