Under a new seven-year agreement between CS Energy and Queensland Airports Limited (QAL), operations at Gold Coast and Townsville airports will switch to 100% renewable energy at midnight on January 1, 2025.
Renewable energy projects from CS Energy’s offtake portfolio in regional Queensland – such as Kennedy Energy Park and solar farms at Columboola, Hughenden and Moura – will help generate the 30GWh needed by Townsville and Gold Coast Airports annually to power operations, from lighting and air conditioning to escalators and charging stations.
Olympic and Paralympic Games 2032
The airports are two of Australia’s busiest and collectively serve more than eight million passenger journeys a year. The renewable energy switch is part of the new masterplans for Gold Coast and Townsville airports, which are set for major expansions to support their anticipated passenger growth in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
According to QAL, Gold Coast and Townsville airports’ annual passenger journeys are set to double to 16 million by 2044 to help service demand generated by growing industry and tourism sectors in the two regions.
Darren Busine, CEO of CS Energy, said, “The agreement with QAL marks a significant moment for sustainable tourism and for the Australian aviation industry in its path toward achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions. As a proud Queensland-owned and based company, CS Energy is excited to partner with QAL on its renewable energy transition.
“Our customers’ energy needs have evolved, and our business is evolving with them. As our customers work toward meeting their decarbonization goals and navigating the energy transition, companies like ours have to be responsive to their changing needs and be able to provide new innovations, new products and new technologies to support them. We are delighted to be part of Queensland Airports Limited’s journey toward their net-zero targets.”
Queensland Airports Limited’s net zero 2030 target
Shifting to 100% renewable energy for operations at both airports is a step toward QAL achieving its net zero 2030 target by offsetting almost 90% of the organization’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.
Amelia Evans, CEO of QAL, commented, “Our airports operate in the natural landscape of their regions. This includes the Great Barrier Reef in Townsville, the Gold Coast’s incredible beaches, and the Cobaki environmental precinct. We are looking to be environmental stewards in the regions that we serve, and this includes what we do to preserve our natural environment on a day-to-day basis. From January 1, 2025, we will be using green power across all our Gold Coast and Townsville airport operations, including air conditioning, lighting, baggage carousels and wayfinding.”
In related news, Gold Coast Airport recently unveiled its 2024 preliminary draft masterplan, which includes plans to deliver a future-focused precinct with the addition of a retail village, health and wellness hub and conference and technology center. Click here to read the full story.