Genex plans pumped hydro storage plant, in old gold mine primed with solar

At a time when energy storage is the talk of the renewables sector, the use of large-scale pumped hydro to store excess electricity generation has been touted by some as a cheaper and easier alternative to batteries to complement an increasingly distributed grid.

In Australia, NSW-based company, Genex Power, hopes to test this theory via plans to convert an abandoned Queensland goldmine into one of Australia's largest pumped hydroelectric storage plants.

The $280 million, 330MW Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Electricity Project proposes to transform the disused Kidston gold mine in northern Queensland into a large-scale hydroelectric power plant, that will store excess renewable electricity generation and then sell it directly into Australia's National Electricity Market during times of peak demand.