Cubico submits 3,429-page Marmadua wind and battery application to Queensland

Cubico Sustainable Investments has submitted a detailed application for the Marmadua wind project and its associated 200 MW, four-hour battery in Queensland, according to RenewEconomy.

The submission, lodged last week, comprises 3,429 pages, 39 appendices, and 10 attachments, totaling 346 megabytes of data.

Regulatory Context

The Marmadua wind project is situated within the Maranoa federal electorate in Queensland. The proposed facility includes a 700 MW wind component and a 200 MW battery, utilizing a total of 100 turbines. This represents a reduction of ten units from the project’s previous design.

The extensive documentation submitted by Cubico addresses specific regulatory requirements established by the state government. In June last year, Queensland deputy premier and planning minister Jarrod Bleijie called in the project’s planning status. As part of this process, Minister Bleijie issued an information request demanding responses to 28 different issues.

Financial Commitments

Cubico’s application outlines substantial financial commitments to local governments and communities. The Western Downs regional council is set to receive nearly $60 million in CPI-linked payments over 35 years. The developer has secured eight community benefit agreements that provide a total of $5.8 million in annual payments during the first year. When combined, these arrangements represent a total council windfall of almost $400 million over the 35-year period.

Recipient	Payment Structure	Total Value	Duration
Western Downs Council	CPI-linked	~$60 million	35 years
Community Agreements	Annual	$5.8 million (Year 1)	Not specified
Total Council Windfall	Combined	~$400 million	35 years

Stakeholder Support

• The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) expressed satisfaction with Cubico’s commitment to address potential impacts on radar systems.
• The application includes a 54-page decommissioning plan detailing actions for the end of the project’s life span.
• Support for the submission was provided by the Western Downs regional council, the Tara non-profit, QGC, 12 host landowners, and Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise.

Radar Mitigation and Broader Planning Landscape

The Bureau of Meteorology’s approval, conveyed via an email sent on Monday, specifically references the wind project’s “significant” impact on the Taroom and Toowoomba radars. While the Marmadua submission is now complete, Cubico’s larger Middle Creek project, also called in by Jarrod Bleijie in June last year, remains pending as the developer continues preparatory work. Bleijie formally called in six projects last year following changes to planning rules, a process that saw Iberdrola drop its Gin Gin battery application and Trina Solar withdraw its Pleystowe proposal. Potentia Energy is still pursuing its Capricorn battery, while the already-approved Moonlight Range wind project was cancelled after being called in. Federal MP David Littleproud, representing the Maranoa electorate, has urged Bleijie to call in and cancel the Tarong West wind project.

Operational and Strategic Details

Squadron Energy head of corporate and community relations Dan Newlan recently noted that developers can utilize the "activists playbook" to manage opposition. The Western Downs council’s eight community benefit agreements are based on current project sizes, subject to potential reshaping during the planning process. The Marmadua submission includes a formal response to the ministerial request for information, alongside letters of support from Shell’s coal seam gas company QGC.