Norton Rose Fulbright advises Central Queensland Power on development of Moah Creek Wind Farm

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has advised Central Queensland Power (CQP) on its deal with CleanCo on a portfolio of renewable energy projects, the first of which is the Moah Creek Wind Farm in Central Queensland, Australia.

Moah Creek Wind Farm is located 30 kilometres west of Rockhampton in Central Queensland and forms part of a larger integrated CQP project that is being jointly developed by CleanCo, RES and Energy Estate. The wind farm is the first in a portfolio of up to 2.3GW of projects to progress under a partnership between CleanCo and CQP.

The Queensland Government said on September 26 that the wind farm would help “power Central Queensland’s clean energy future”. It said the project was expected to add $600 million to the state’s economy and employ 400 people during its construction. Once complete it will power around 200,000 homes.

CQP is a joint venture between Energy Estate and RES, formed to accelerate the energy transition and decarbonisation of heavy industry and communities in the Central Queensland region. It manages a development portfolio of wind, solar and storage projects in that region.

CleanCo Queensland is a government-owned electricity generation and trading company, focused on a mix of renewable energy and innovative energy solutions. It secured $500 million in funding from the Queensland Budget to invest in renewable energy projects in Central Queensland, helping the state meet its renewable energy targets of 70 per cent by 2032 and 80 per cent by 2035.

Norton Rose Fulbright energy partner Kate Muller commented:

“Given the Queensland Government's strong commitment to state ownership of generation assets, we are seeing real momentum in collaboration between state-owned electricity entities and the private sector. These relationships will continue to drive investment into the energy transition, and support the delivery of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan.  Our firm is proud to contribute to these efforts through our work with CQP.”

The Norton Rose Fulbright team was led by Kate Muller, who was supported by senior associate Tarrant Sewell and associate Edward McCombe on the CleanCo transaction.

The firm has been involved with CQP in the development of the Moah Creek Wind Farm for some time, with Partner Gavin Scott and senior associate Ellen Whittred advising on native title and cultural heritage, Partner Rebecca Hoare and senior associate Jessica Howe supporting on environment and planning and special counsel Kathy Prince leading the tenure workstream.