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Kidston Dam

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Coordinates: 19°02′10″S 144°07′24″E / 19.036217°S 144.123373°E / -19.036217; 144.123373
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Kidston Dam
Kidston Dam is located in Queensland
Kidston Dam
Kidston Dam
Location of the dam in Queensland
Map
Interactive map of Kidston Dam
Official nameCopperfield River Gorge Dam
CountryAustralia
LocationLyndhurst, Shire of Etheridge, north-western Queensland
Coordinates19°02′10″S 144°07′24″E / 19.036217°S 144.123373°E / -19.036217; 144.123373
Purpose
StatusOperational
Opening date1984
Built byHornibrook
Designed byGHD Group
OwnerQueensland Government
OperatorsDepartment of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development
Dam and spillways
Type of damGravity dam
ImpoundsCopperfield River
Height (foundation)40 m (130 ft)
Height (thalweg)32 m (105 ft)
Length340 m (1,120 ft)
Elevation at crest594 m (1,949 ft)
Dam volume157×10^3 m3 (5.5×10^6 cu ft)
Spillway typeUncontrolled ogee
Spillway capacity8,500 m3/s (300,000 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Total capacity20,600 ML (16,700 acre⋅ft)
Catchment area1,272 km2 (491 sq mi)
Surface area190 ha (470 acres)
Normal elevation579 m (1,900 ft) AHD
Kidston Pumped Storage Project
(K2-Hydro)
OperatorGenex Power
Commission date2025
TypePumped storage
Turbines2
Installed capacity250 MW (340,000 hp)
Storage capacity8 hours
2025 generation2,000 MWh (7,200 GJ) [upon completion]

The Kidston Dam, also known as the Copperfield Dam and officially as the Copperfield River Gorge Dam,[1] is a concrete gravity dam across the Copperfield River, located in Lyndhurst, in the Shire of Etheridge, in north-western Queensland, Australia.[2] Situated approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) north of Hughenden and 270 kilometres (170 mi) north-west of Townsville, the dam was built in 1984 for the Kidston Gold Mine, initially for industrial water supply.

Following the 2001 closure of the gold mine, the dam was, in 2017, repurposed to supply water for a clean energy hub located adjacent to the dam, called the Kidston Clean Energy Hub. A separate rock-filled embankment dam, Wises Dam, forms part of the Kidston Pumped Storage Project (K2-Hydro).

Industrial water supply

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This dam and its associated pipeline were built in 1984 to supply water to the Kidston Gold Mine.[3] It was built across the Copperfield River, a tributary of the Einasleigh River in the Gilbert River catchment. The dam was one of the first dams built in Australia using the roller compacted concrete technique.[citation needed]

The dam wall is 40 metres (130 ft) high and 340 metres (1,120 ft) long. The resultant reservoir has a capacity of 20,600 megalitres (16,700 acre⋅ft), and forms a surface area of 190 hectares (470 acres) when at full capacity, drawing form a catchment area of 1,272 square kilometres (491 sq mi).[3][4][1]

The Copperfield River, in 2013

The gold mine was abandoned in July 2001 and the dam was handed back to the Queensland Government and is managed by the Queensland Department of Energy and Water Supply (DEWS). Downstream properties receive water via a pipeline which was built to supply the mine and associated township. There is also a local arrangement to release water (towards the end of winter) to fill downstream waterholes. This allows riparian properties access to water for stock and domestic use until the coming wet season.

In January 2026, it was reported that the dam burst it banks and caused flooding.[5][6]

Clean energy hub

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Following close of the mine, a 50-megawatt (67,000 hp) solar farm (KS1) was completed in 2017; and, in 2025, a 250-megawatt (340,000 hp) hydroelectric power station (K2-Hydro) was commissioned. A 270-megawatt (360,000 hp) hybrid wind farm (K3-Hybrid) with battery storage[7][8] is also planned as part of the Kidston Clean Energy Hub, expected to be commissioned from 2028.[7] The hub is operated by Genex Power.

A 187-kilometre (116 mi) 132-kV single-circuit transmission line connects the co-located facilities within the hub to the national grid via a substation at Mount Fox, near Townsville.[9][10][11] Following completion of the solar farm and during the planning for the hydro-pumped storage facility, the project signed a ten-year power purchase agreement with EnergyAustralia in 2020,[12] backed by an A$610-million loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, and an A$47-million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

Solar farm

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Main article: Kidston Solar Project

The Kidston Solar Project (KS1) is a 50-megawatt (67,000 hp) solar farm on the former mine's tailings heap. It has been generating electricity into the National Electricity Market (NEM) since December 2017.[7]

Hydroelectric power station

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The Kidston Pumped Storage Project (K2-Hydro) is a 250-megawatt (340,000 hp) hydro-pumped storage that was commissioned in 2025.[7]

In 2016, it was suggested that the Kidston Dam was a suitable source to adapt for pumped storage hydroelectricity in order to match supply and demand between the solar farm and the national grid.[13] The following year, additional solar power capacity was recommended, with an annual estimate of 2,000 megawatt-hours (7,200 GJ) of pumped storage, at an expected cost of A$330 million.[14] Completion was initially expected by 2024[15] at a cost of A$777 million.[16]

At the former gold mine site, two mining pits, being the Wises and Eldridge pits, were repurposed for the hydroelectric plant. The pits contain water with a high mineral content and contamination from the old mining activity. Consequently, water is collected from the surrounding area and pumped into the pits to prevent contamination of the local area. A lined rock-fill embankment was constructed around the original Wises Pit to form the Wises Dam, with its spillway in the form of a pipeline and open channel that connects to the Copperfield River. To help regulate water flow for the plant, a pipeline also connects both the Wises Dam and Eldridge Pit. The upper reservoir for the hydro-pumped storage, Wises Dam, holds 3.75 million cubic metres (132×10^6 cu ft) of water as active storage, and 1.03 million cubic metres (36×10^6 cu ft) as extended storage. The lower reservoir, Eldridge Pit, holds 3.25 million cubic metres (115×10^6 cu ft) of water as active storage, and 1.5 million cubic metres (53×10^6 cu ft) as extended storage.[17] There is an average drop of 200 metres (660 ft) between the two reservoirs, ranging from 181 to 218 metres (594 to 715 ft).

Wind farm

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The Kidston Hybrid Project (K3-Hybrid) is a planned 150-megawatt (200,000 hp) grid battery, along with a 120-megawatt (160,000 hp) wind farm. If built, it is expected that the wind farm will generate 600 megawatt-hours (2,200 GJ) per annum. As of April 2025, the project was being considered for feasibility and financing.[7]

Redclaw

Fishing

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The area is popular with recreational fishers. Since 2001, the dam has seen an exponential growth in the redclaw population.[4] Access for fishing boats is via a steep dirt and rock boat ramp next to the dam wall. In 2017, DEWS installed 14 safety warning sign buoys, approximately 100 metres (330 ft) off the dam wall, to alert waterway users of the danger of overtopping the overflow spillway.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Copperfield River Gorge Dam: Emergency Action Plan" (PDF). Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development. Queensland Government. September 2025. pp. 14–15. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  2. ^ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Register of Large Dams Australia-2015" (Excel. Requires download. Row 127). ANCOLD. January 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  4. ^ a b Orr, Ken (5 July 2001). "Kidston Dam: An Asset Worth Preserving". North Queensland Register. p. 1. Retrieved 4 March 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. ^ Gall, Sally (28 January 2026). "Damned if they do? Residents question Kidston Dam management after record spill". North Queensland Register. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  6. ^ Maloney, Rosanne; Conor Byrne; Kim, Sharnie (28 January 2026). "Flash flooding on Copperfield River forces emergency evacuation of Einasleigh". ABC News. Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Kidston Clean Energy Hub Factsheet" (PDF). Genex Power. April 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Kidston solar project, Queensland, Australia". Power Technology. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Kidston Pumped Hydro - Infrastructure Pipeline". infrastructurepipeline.org. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021.
  10. ^ Harden, Ben (11 June 2021). "FNQ pumped hydro project hits major milestone". North Queensland Register.
  11. ^ "Events: Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro project". Engineers Australia. 1 October 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  12. ^ Parkinson, Giles (30 March 2020). "Australia's first pumped hydro project in 40 years gets green light". RenewEconomy.
  13. ^ "A new energy gold mine: storage from solar and pumped hydro". 22 September 2016. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  14. ^ "Kidston pumped hydro storage capacity to be boosted by 25%". 20 October 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  15. ^ Mazengarb, Michael (15 April 2021). "Kidston pumped hydro construction to start this month after Genex locks in finance". RenewEconomy. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021.
  16. ^ Ludlow, Mark (4 August 2023). "Green energy's holy grail takes shape 220 metres underground". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  17. ^ "Wises Dam: Emergency Action Plan" (PDF). Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteering. Queensland Government. June 2025. pp. 9–11. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
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