The project involves constructing a new, 87km long, double circuit 275kV transmission line between Calvale Substation (near Callide Power Station) and Calliope River Substation (near Gladstone).

Connecting the new 275kV high-capacity transmission line to our electricity network will require upgrade works at both the Calvale and Calliope River substations. 

At the Calvale Substation, works involve expanding the substation footprint on Powerlink-owned land, to include a new substation bay to connect to the new transmission line.

The Calliope River Substation will also be expanded on Powerlink-owned land. This is to allow for the grid connection, new substation equipment and an expansion of the existing 132kV and 275kV switching yards. New substation equipment may include equipment to control and convert voltage, and synchronous condensers and static synchronous compensators for system strength.

Powerlink needs to reinforce our transmission network in the Gladstone area over the next 10 years. This is important to ensure an ongoing reliable and secure electricity supply to the region, as the largest load centre outside of South East Queensland.

Powerlink plans to deliver a critical program of transmission upgrades, known as the Gladstone Project. This is to ensure the electricity network remains safe and reliable as the region prepares for the eventual retirement of the Gladstone Power Station, and heavy industry moves toward electrification of their operations increasing demand on the network.

If approved and funded, the Calvale to Calliope River project will become Stage 1 of the Gladstone Project.

For more information visit powerlink.com.au/gladstoneproject.

For planning purposes, the project is split into five sections (A, B, C, D and E).

While the new line will mostly be constructed in existing spare easements, co-located beside existing 275kV transmission lines, there is around 16km between Bracewell and East End (Section C of the project), where easement widening is required. There are also minor areas approaching both substations (in Sections A and E) where easement widening is required due to design requirements.

The new line will be mostly co-located with existing infrastructure, reducing social, environmental and economic impacts compared to constructing in a new location.

‘Co-location’ is when transmission lines are built side-by-side. In the right circumstances, it can have several benefits compared to separate corridors.

This includes restricting vegetation clearing to one corridor, avoiding further vegetation fragmentation. A co-located corridor also occupies less land than separate corridors. For landholders, it means fewer access tracks are required, lowering biosecurity risks and limiting land-use impacts to one part of the property.

In June 2024, Powerlink published a Draft Corridor Selection Report (Draft CSR). Landholders, the community and other stakeholders were invited to provide feedback during a four-week consultation period.

All feedback was reviewed and considered in the preparation of the Final Corridor Selection Report (Final CSR), which confirmed the suitability of the recommended corridor presented in the Draft CSR, including a widening in Section C to the north of the existing easement. Key consultation themes and Powerlink’s responses are summarised in the Final CSR and the August 2024 Community Update, available under the ‘Resources’ menu in the ‘Newsletters’ tab.

In November 2025, the project’s Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) Proposal Report was released for public consultation. This consultation process was led by the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDIP), with supporting engagement undertaken by Powerlink. The MID Proposal Report and the November 2025 project newsletter are also available under the ‘Resources’ menu in the ‘Newsletters’ tab.

This project also requires approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Consultation on the Draft Public Environment Report (PER) occurred in early 2026. Following consultation, the PER was updated and a Final PER has been submitted to DCCEEW for assessment. The PER contents are summarised in the February 2026 project newsletter. This newsletter, as well as the Draft and Final PERs are available under the Resources menu.

During 2025, consultation was also undertaken to inform a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for Powerlink’s major projects in Central Queensland, which included consideration of the Calvale to Calliope River project.

In late 2024, Powerlink referred the project to the DCCEEW for assessment. The project was found to be a ‘controlled action’, meaning that further assessment and approval is required before the project can proceed. The next step in this process was for Powerlink to prepare a Draft PER, which was released for community consultation in early 2026. One submission was received seeking further information about environmental offsets.

We have now updated the Draft PER following consultation and prepared the Final PER, which has been submitted to DCCEEW for assessment. You can view the Final PER under the ‘Resources’ menu on the right of this page. Printed copies are also available at Gladstone City Library and the State Library of Queensland.

Powerlink has prepared the Draft PER as part of our application for environmental approval under the EPBC Act. The EPBC Act is Australia’s national environmental law. It provides a legal framework to protect and manage nine specific Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES).

The project has been determined to be a controlled action requiring assessment by Public Environment Report and approval under the EPBC Act, with the following controlling provisions under Part 3 of the EPBC Act:

• World heritage values of a declared World Heritage property (section 12 & section 15A)

• National Heritage values of a National Heritage place (section 15B & section 15C)

• Listed threatened species and communities (section 18 & section 18A)

• The environment in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (section 24B & section 24C).

The PER looks at how the project may affect MNES and outlines ways to avoid, mitigate or offset those impacts. It also includes the specialist studies undertaken and their findings, consideration of project alternatives, and detailed management and monitoring plans. The EPBC Act is administered by DCCEEW.

The February 2026 project newsletter summarises the PER structure and contents. A detailed table of contents is provided in the PER. You can find this edition in the right-hand column under Resources.

In November 2025, the project’s Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) Proposal Report was released for community consultation. The MID process is governed by the Planning Act 2016, through the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDIP).

While both EPBC Act and MID processes involve public consultation, they are governed by different legislation and managed by different agencies. The MID process is about planning approval for infrastructure at the State level, whereas the EPBC process focuses on protecting nationally significant environmental values at the Federal level.

Powerlink has submitted the Final PER to DCCEEW for assessment. As part of their assessment, they will consider any public submissions on the Draft PER, before deciding whether to approve the project, and under what conditions.

A Federal Government environmental approval decisions is expected by mid‑2026.

Powerlink is applying for planning approval under the Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) process. A Ministerial Infrastructure Designation, or MID, is a State Government approvals process for assessing certain types of community supporting infrastructure.

The MID process is managed by the Queensland Government, through Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDIP), with input from other government agencies.

In November 2025, the project’s MID Proposal Report was released for community consultation. This consultation is now closed. Seven submissions were received, with key themes around land access, environmental considerations, infrastructure siting, amenity impacts and the importance of timely project delivery.

We have updated our MID Proposal Report following consultation. The report has now been submitted to DSDIP and the Planning Minister for consideration and final decision.

The MID Proposal Report for this project includes detailed reports that, together, make up our application for planning approval. It describes in detail the findings of more than 18 months of desktop and detailed flora and fauna field studies, and social and cultural heritage assessments.

The MID Proposal Report also includes reports that detail the findings and proposed mitigations for other matters, including construction traffic impacts, noise and vibration, landscape and visual amenity, bushfire risks and more.

A digital version of the MID Proposal Report and its appendices is available under the ‘Resources’ menu on this page.

Desktop assessments were carried out during early planning and updated as the project progressed. Twelve flora (plant) and fauna (animal) field studies occurred between March 2023 and June 2025.

The outcome of desktop and field studies is an Ecological Assessment Report (EAR). It outlines the environmental values in the project area, looks at potential impacts on these values, and provides strategies to avoid, reduce or mitigate impacts. A copy of the EAR is available under the ‘Resources’ menu, as Appendix K of our MID Proposal Report.

Plant and animal studies occurred over a wide study area of around 14,293 hectares. This included the 87km long, 60m-wide transmission line easement alignment, substations and laydown areas, and a surrounding buffer zone.

Only a small part of the study area (around 2.5 percent) may be directly affected by the project.

The MID Proposal Report describes the project scope, including an upgrade of the Calliope River Substation which among other components, outlines provision for up to two synchronous condensers at the site on Powerlink-owned land.

This has been included as part of our approval documentation to build in adequate flexibility and streamline approval requirements for potential project components.

We take biosecurity seriously and have processes in place to avoid spreading weeds, pathogens and diseases between properties or introducing new biosecurity material from outside the local bioregion.

Powerlink has a responsibility to minimise the risk of our activities introducing pest animals, weeds and animal and plant diseases, on private or public land. The Biosecurity Act 2014 requires everyone to minimise risks associated with invasive plants and animals under their control. This is called a ‘general biosecurity obligation’.

Powerlink complies with the Biosecurity Act and takes action to ensure our activities do not introduce or spread weeds, pathogens and diseases.

Learn more about Powerlink’s systems and processes for managing biosecurity risk, including avoiding the spread of weeds, by downloading the biosecurity fact sheet in the Resources section of this page.