The Djandori Pumped Hydro project will be situated in the mountain ranges south of Gladstone, QLD. The project scale is similar to a coal fired power station and will provide power to help service the Gladstone industrial region. A benefit of the project will be the provision of a public water supply source for the nearby town of Miriam Vale.
Key products and benefits:
- Numerous secure employment opportunities.
- Green power to support Gladstone industries and homes.
- Secure water supply source for Mirian Vale
- Numerous electrical features supporting the power grid
The technology stack includes:
- Two water storage reservoirs
- Large pump system
- Large hydro-power generators
- Electrical Transmission lines
- Water treatment plant
- Water supply trunk main
- System Optimisation
Djandori Gung-i Technical Details
Djandori Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES) is highly capital‑efficient because its key physical parameters sit in an optimal range for pumped hydro. With an average head of about 480 m, it lies in the widely recognised 400–500 m “sweet spot” where each cubic metre of water delivers substantial energy, reducing required flow, tunnel size and reservoir volume per MW, without the escalating technical complexity and cost that often appears at higher heads. Coupled with an upper–lower reservoir separation of only about 2.3 km, Djandori can use short, high‑head waterways that minimise excavation, lining and hydraulic losses, improving both capital cost and round‑trip efficiency. The reservoir geometry also provides an efficient rock‑to‑water ratio, with terrain that supports deep, well‑contained storage for relatively modest embankment lengths, which lowers cost and physical footprint per MWh of storage.
By way of comparison, Djandori’s 27 GWh of storage is equivalent to roughly 2 million home batteries, and its 1,400 MW of power output is similar to a typical coal‑fired power station, but delivered as flexible, fast‑responding renewable storage. The project’s efficient reservoir parameters and short transmission distances (around 10 km to the nearest line and about 27 km to the furthest 275 kV line) naturally mean a smaller environmental footprint than many lower‑head, more dispersed alternatives. In addition, the proposal to drought‑proof Miriam Vale through upgraded desalination and new pipeline connections embeds a clear community benefit into the project design.