BTS/MinSouth February 2023 Lecture - Kidston Pumped Storage Project

Speaker Clare Onal – Mott MacDonald Kidston will be the world's first conversion of a gold mine into a hydroelectric pumped storage facility –setting a benchmark for similar conversions globally. The Kidston pumped storage project will be the first pumped hydro plant to be built in Australia since 1984. This transformative project by renewable energy and storage company Genex Power will be the cornerstone of a renewable energy zone (REZ) that will provide clean, cheap and firm power to the area. The existing site comprises two gold mine pits with more than 100 years of operations. These pits will be converted into the top and bottom reservoirs for the Kidston pumped storage project. Significant underground infrastructure, including a large powerhouse cavern, waterway shafts and tunnels to allow the transfer of water between the reservoirs will need to be engineered. Disclaimer : All opinions and views expressed by the speakers, including those participating in the Q&A, are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the British Tunnelling Society or the Institution of Civil Engineers.