Queensland Energy Roadmap 2025: A New Blueprint for Investment and Transition
12 November 2025
What you need to know
- The Queensland Government has unveiled the Queensland Energy Roadmap 2025, resetting the strategic approach to the State’s energy transition over the next five years and beyond.
- Highlights include: a drive for private investment in the form of a $400 million fund and investor gateway; a new central gas power tender; accelerated investment in storage; repeal of renewable energy targets and streamlined governance; and prioritised transmission upgrades.
- The plan signals a decisive shift toward leveraging significant private investment in gas, new generation, and storage, and formally repeals the previous renewable energy targets while remaining committed to net zero by 2050.
What you need to do
- This new framework presents immediate opportunities for large-scale investment, project development, and contracting, particularly through the establishment of the Investor Gateway and the $400 million Queensland Energy Investment Fund.
- Monitor the progress of the Energy Roadmap Amendment Bill 2025 to fully understand the new regulatory environment.
Initial progress of the bill: legislative foundation
The policy changes in the Queensland Energy Roadmap (the Roadmap) are underpinned by the Energy Roadmap Amendment Bill 2025, which is currently before Parliament and expected to pass by December 2025. This Bill amends the Energy (Renewable Transformation and Jobs) Act 2024 and will see it renamed as the Energy (Infrastructure Facilitation) Act 2024.
Key aspects of the bill include:
- Renewable Targets Repealed: The Bill formally repeals Queensland's previous renewable energy targets, while maintaining the commitment to net zero 2050.
- Infrastructure Focus: The Bill retains and improves the Priority Transmission Investment (PTI) and Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) frameworks – renaming REZs as ‘Regional Energy Hubs’– to support coordinated, efficient development of strategic transmission infrastructure and facilitate new generation and storage.
- Public Ownership Confirmed: The State confirms 100% public ownership of existing operational generation, transmission, distribution, and deep storage assets.
- Governance Streamlined: Several advisory bodies are abolished to reduce administrative complexity, including the Energy Industry Council, the Queensland Energy System Advisory Board and the Queensland Renewable Energy Jobs Advocate.
- Project Facilitation: The Bill introduces tailored regulatory frameworks to support critical projects like CopperString, including mechanisms for economic regulation and cost efficiency oversight.
Summary of the roadmap
The Queensland Energy Roadmap is structured around three central objectives: Affordability, Reliability and Sustainability. The Roadmap outlines a whole of system outlook that focuses on attracting private sector capital to meet Queensland's energy infrastructure needs.
| Focus Area | Key Initiatives & Private Sector Role |
| Private Investment | To attract and coordinate private sector investment in Queensland's energy infrastructure, the Government has established the Investor Gateway to serve as the new 'front door' for investment. This initiative, backed by $400 million via the Queensland Energy Investment Fund, leverages QIC's infrastructure expertise and market connections to accelerate private sector involvement in renewables, gas, and storage projects. QIC will identify, negotiate, and oversee investments, specifically by matching investor interest with Government Owned Corporations (GOC) portfolio needs through project partnerships, contracting opportunities, and blended finance options. |
| Coal and Gas Power | The Roadmap resets the operating timeframes for state-owned coal assets, ensuring they will continue to operate at least until the end of their technical lives, with the possibility of further extension. Gas is deemed a critical firming fuel, with QIC to commence a market sounding process in late 2025 for a competitive Central Gas Power Tender (up to 400 MW) to be operational by 2032. QIC will likely rely on private sector expertise to develop the project and explore opportunities to partner with GOCs through energy offtakes. |
| Energy Storage | The Government will invest $10 million to stimulate investment in community batteries across the distribution network. QIC will also lead the assessment and potential delivery of medium-duration pumped hydro projects at Mt Rawdon, Big T, and Capricornia. |
| Transmission | Instead of committing to a multi-line 500kV transmission 'backbone', the Government is prioritising a targeted approach through the Priority Transmission Investment framework. Key projects include the QIC-led delivery of the CopperString Eastern Link (330kV) by 2032 and network upgrades through Gladstone. |
| Renewables | The Roadmap introduces Regional Energy Hubs to coordinate new generation and storage connections, replacing the previous Renewable Energy Zones framework. A new code of conduct for renewable energy developers is also being developed to guide responsible behaviour and set expectations for best industry practice. |
Opportunities and impacts
It is important to recognise both the potential impacts and opportunities presented by the Roadmap, ensuring stakeholders are prepared to manage challenges and capitalise on emerging prospects.
Opportunities:
- Project Pipeline: With plans for 6.8 GW of wind and solar, 3.8 GW of storage, and 0.6 GW of gas capacity by 2030, there is a clear opportunity for significant project development and contracting.
- Investment Access: The Investor Gateway and $400 million fund create new, structured avenues for direct private investment and partnership with GOCs in major generation, firming, and storage projects.
- Infrastructure Growth: Accelerated delivery of major transmission and network upgrades (e.g., CopperString) provides a guaranteed pipeline of work for developers, contractors, and technology providers.
Potential impacts
- Policy & Regulatory Uncertainty: The repeal of prior renewable energy targets and changes to governance structures may affect long-term planning and investment certainty for projects that previously relied on those targets.
- Delivery & Coordination Risk: The Roadmap’s focus on the private sector, coupled with coordination requirements with GOCs, may present challenges related to capital availability, managing large-scale and technically complex projects, and overall project delivery.
- Transition Risk: The decision to extend the operating life of coal and rely on more gas for firming could create a potential misalignment with future market or policy drivers concerning emissions intensity.
Key considerations
To maximize success under the new Roadmap, proponents should consider the following:
Engage Early and Often: Proactively engage with stakeholders (e.g., communities, regulators, and GOCs) to understand the impacts that the new Roadmap may have to their priorities and ensure alignment with government priorities.
Monitor Legislative Changes: Closely track the progress and final provisions of the Energy Roadmap Amendment Bill 2025 to fully understand the new regulatory environment, particularly regarding land use, approvals, and the new developer Code of Conduct.
Employ Scenario Planning: Conduct scenario analysis and stress testing to assess the impact that the Roadmap and government policy shifts may have on current and future planned projects
Other authors: Sean Tran, Lawyer; Savannah Tindiglia, Graduate and Shloka Ashar, Specialist, Ashurst Risk Advisory
