As we rebuild our economy from the COVID-19 crisis, Queensland has enormous opportunities to create jobs in renewable energy and the clean industries it could power. The state could become a global leader in the clean industries of the future, with generations of Queenslanders working in industries such as clean manufacturing, mining, minerals processing, and hydrogen made from renewables.

Key points:

• Queensland can accelerate the development of renewable energy zones (REZs) across the state. The proposed REZs in the Darling Downs and Far North Queensland could create up to 2,000 jobs in each region by 2025.
• In the immediate term, the Climate Council’s Clean Jobs Plan has found 15,000 - 20,000 jobs could be created in Queensland across 12 policy areas.
• Townsville could become a hub for lithium-ion battery manufacturing and metals processing, and central Queensland could become a clean steel powerhouse, creating 15,000 local jobs by 2050.
• CopperString 2.0 - a proposed transmission project connecting North West Queensland to the National Electricity Market (NEM) - will unlock exceptional wind and solar resources and new opportunities in mining and minerals processing. It is expected to reduce electricity prices across the region by 40%.
• Construction of CopperString 2.0 is expected to create 750 direct jobs over three years, while downstream industrial opportunities unlocked by the project are expected to create an additional 3,560 full-time jobs.
• Electricity prices in South East Queensland are projected to fall 20% from 2019 to 2022, due in part to the recent boom in renewable energy projects.