Date: Tuesday 25 February 2025‍

Time: 3:00pm - 7:00pm AEST

Venue: GHD Brisbane

Australia’s ambition of 82% national RE target by 2030 means 6 GW of renewable energy per year needs to be commissioned. To support this target, pumped hydro will be critical to supporting intermittent renewables. To meet Australia’s climate target, the AEMO Integrated System Plan 2024 concludes that Australia will need to quadruple firming capacity - from batteries, pumped storage hydropower (PSH)and other hydro (up to 50 GW / 654 GWh of dispatchable storage, and 16 GW of flexible gas by 2050). Australia’s current market design won’t deliver that by itself. The energy market is not designed to reward investment in reliability and storage, and high up-front capital costs for long-lasting infrastructure.

This invitation-only event, co-hosted by the International Hydropower Association and GHD, will bring together Australia’s key stakeholders and thought leaders in the sector to discuss the future of PSH development in the country to support Australia’s net zero ambitions and enhance global leadership.

The event will consist of:

• High-level panel discussion: Featuring former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and other influential voices in the hydropower industry, this session will set the stage by addressing the current landscape and future direction of pumped storage hydropower in Australia.
• Focused discussion group: This hands-on session will dive into the specific challenges and opportunities of developing hydropower in Australia. Attendees will discuss actionable solutions with a strong emphasis on insights from the recent report, "Enabling New Pumped Storage Hydropower: A Guidance Note for Key Decision Makers to De-Risk Pumped Storage Investments."

Speakers on panel

• Malcolm Turnbull (virtual), President of IHA
• Helen Barbour-Bourne, National Hydropower Sector Lead, GHD
• Kieran Cusack, Chief Executive Officer, Queensland Hydro
• Paul Simshauser, Chief Executive Officer, Powerlink
• James Katsikis, Chief Executive Officer, EDF
• Rebecca Ellis, Senior Energy Policy Manager, IHA (moderator)

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Workshop speakers

• Paul Simshauser, Chief Executive Officer, Powerlink
• Chris Gwynne, EDF Australia - Hydropower Program Manager, EDF
• Alexander Schwab, SVP, Andritz
• David Watt, EGM Commercial, Queensland Hydro

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This is a unique chance to exchange knowledge and have challenges and priorities heard by decision-makers at both the national and international levels.

The outcomes from the panel discussion and focused working groups will be documented by the IHA and directly shared with policymakers to help shape Australia's regulatory and market frameworks.