Queensland Hydro has awarded the AFRY and Aurecon Joint Venture (JV) the design contract for the Borumba Pumped Hydro Energy Storage project, which will provide grid stability and reliability as Queensland transitions to renewable energy.
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The Borumba Pumped Hydro project, located at lake Borumba, 180km from Brisbane, will provide up to 2GW of electricity for 24-hours with a storage capacity of 48,000MWh, ensuring a secure and reliable energy supply.
Queensland Hydro CEO Kieran Cusack said, “We’re delighted to be bringing AFRY-Aurecon JV on board for the design work of the pumped hydro energy storage scheme.

“Their industry-leading and global expertise in mega infrastructure projects across traditional and clean energy sectors is an ideal partnership for our world-class Borumba Pumped Hydro Project.
“AFRY-Aurecon JV will advance our front-end engineering design documentation, focusing on the technical elements of the pumped hydro scheme itself—such as the interplay between the turbines, cavern design, tunnel waterway design, and other equipment— ensuring that the Borumba Project is safe, reliable and technically-sound.”
The AFRY-Aurecon JV will also assist Queensland Hydro in the procurement of both the PHES Delivery and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Delivery partners.
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The Borumba Pumped Hydro Project is scheduled to begin its design and construction phase in 2025, with commercial operations expected to start in early 2031.






