Outback Councils Look to US for Renewable Energy Advice

By Meghan Dansie

ABC North Qld

Topic: Renewable Energy

Tue 2 Jun 2026 at 8:32am

Kennedy Energy Park has been operating for two years.

In short:

A group of local governments paid for Texan energy lawyers to visit their region.

They say Texas's renewables boom can be compared to Queensland's economic potential.

What's next?

The Texan travellers will meet with stakeholders and state government officials.

Outback Queensland councils are looking to Texas for renewable energy growth.

Three energy lawyers from Texas are touring Queensland.

Rod Wetsel says Texas is ahead of Australia in renewables developments.

Rod Wetsel is a wind lawyer and rancher from Texas.

He said there are lessons for local governments and landholders in western Queensland.

What we can help do is to help the Australians overcome some problems.

Developer Windlab signed a power purchase agreement with CleanCo.

Learning from the Texas wind boom

Texas is home to about 240 wind-related projects.

Mr Wetsel said the wind-energy boom presented waste-disposal and landholder negotiation challenges.

How do you decommission the turbines when the wind farm becomes obsolete?

A community forum with the Texans was attended by federal MP Bob Katter.

You have a lot more bargaining power than you think you have.

The Flinders Shire Council paid $30,000 for the Texans to visit.

Flinders Shire Mayor Kate Peddle said she hoped it would raise awareness.

This isn't about reducing emissions, this is about capitalising on development.

Kate Peddle says her support for renewables is not motivated by environmental concerns.

The first stop on the tour was Hughenden, a town of 1,000 people.

Over the past five years, 12 wind turbines have been added to the town.

Councils negotiating benefit agreements

The local government is eager to expand the scale of development.

Cr Peddle said her shire was in early-stage negotiations with energy companies.

The landscapes around Hughenden are defined by grass plains and granite hills.

It's very early days still, and I think that's why it's important that we have these three gentlemen out here.

Grattan Institute energy program director Tony Wood said different planning and taxation laws must be taken into account.

I certainly would not rule out the idea of getting advice from other places.

But then you've also got to have a very good filter to make sure that you're not convinced that just because it worked somewhere else, it will work perfectly in north Queensland.

A CopperString work camp has been built just outside Hughenden.

Transmission infrastructure vital to growth

Mr Wetsel said supporting infrastructure was vital if outback Queensland was serious about upscaling renewable energy capacity.

I think they need to get the politicians on board to create the transmission that's necessary.

The Queensland government says it will invest $5 billion in CopperString 2.0.

Cr Peddle said the multi-billion-dollar CopperString 2032 project was essential to making any economic windfall a reality.

The transmission line is very important and that's integral to us to become generators.

We're at the very beginning of our journey through the energy transition.

Tue 2 Jun 2026 at 8:32am

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