The Palaszczuk government has officially opened Queensland’s first SuperGrid Training Centre and Transmission Hub in Gladstone, allowing energy workers to be upskilled every year.

Set up in the Central Queensland Renewable Energy Zone (QREZ), the facility is well-located to assist with delivering a number of regional future transmission projects as well as supercharge the delivery of the energy transformation outlined in the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan.

“We are delighted to have Queensland’s first hub located in Gladstone which will provide a significant boost for local employment and training opportunities, with more than 90 jobs expected to be based at the facility over the next ten years,” Member for Gladstone Glenn Butcher says.

“This investment demonstrates the Palaszczuk Government’s commitment to providing tangible and practical job opportunities for our local people including apprentices, as we gear up to expand the skills and resources available to deliver the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan.

“This is an exciting time for Central Queensland as we cultivate new employment pathways for our local people at this state-of-the-art facility.”

The hub will provide ‘a home away from home’ to Powerlink teams and industry partners working on energy projects in the region and will remain established at Gladstone in the interim while Powerlink finalises the acquisition of a permanent site, with construction expected to commence for the long-term facility in 2024.

“Our first Queensland SuperGrid Training Centre and Transmission Hub in Central Queensland is now open, driving decent, secure jobs in regional Queensland’s energy transition,” Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen minister Mick de Brenni says.

“Building the SuperGrid is key to unlocking 100,000 new jobs in energy generation, green hydrogen, critical minerals mining and battery manufacturing, so everything we see happening in this busy region is essentially driving the clean energy industrial revolution.

“It’s facilities like these which bring the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan to life, setting a clear path to deliver the clean, reliable and affordable energy of the future while delivering on our renewable energy targets.”