![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ed385a8e33962bd9252526cfabea8f794c411bfbaaea41ebade96b8bf2ea0d0f.png\")
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April 20, 2026 \u2014 8:07pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Queensland has secured four huge machines worth hundreds of millions of dollars to keep the state\u2019s power system stable when it transitions to renewable energy and avoid the chaotic delays forced on the planned shutdown of the Eraring generator in NSW.<\/p>\n State-owned transmission company Powerlink signed an agreement with Japanese giant Hitachi Energy to install the machines in Central Queensland to stabilise the grid and spare Queensland from widespread blackouts when relying on wind and solar energy.<\/p>\n The LNP government last year pushed back Queensland\u2019s plan<\/a> to end its reliance on coal-fired power by 10 years through to 2046, but Energy Minister David Janetzki has said the state would invest in a future network powered by renewable energy sources.<\/p>\n Tony Wood, a senior fellow at the Grattan Institute, said coal-fired generation was less disruptive to the energy grid because the power was firm and frequent.<\/p>\n Whereas energy from renewable sources can fluctuate, causing power outages. This is why these machines, known as synchronous condensers, were required to act as a stabiliser in the grid, Wood said.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only do they provide the energy, but they also provide it in a way that can be synchronised and stable,\u201d the leading energy expert told this masthead.<\/p>\n \u201cSo they\u2019re big spinning things that will run for a long time, depending on how well it\u2019s made, and they can ride through disruptions to the power supply and in ways that, as currently configured, wind farms and solar farms cannot.\u201d<\/p>\n Queensland\u2019s move to secure the machines, which are due to be operational in 2029, follows similar deals in Victoria and South Australia to rely on large syncons to support renewable energy.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in NSW, the country\u2019s largest coal power station, Eraring, will run for two years longer than planned because it lacks the infrastructure to secure the energy supply without it.<\/p>\n Related Article In 2025, the NSW government was racing to install the state\u2019s first five machines.<\/p>\n \u201cThis transition requires some very careful navigation,\u201d Wood said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always knew that we\u2019re going to have to deal with building more transmission for wind and solar, and we know that\u2019s run into a lot of problems, which is why Eraring and others are now being asked to stay open a bit longer.<\/p>\n \u201cThis [synchronous condensers] is more what people normally describe as security.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cWe\u2019ve been talking about security \u2013 how do you make sure the system is stable in a technical sense, and can ride through nasty storms or whatever that might be? That\u2019s what this is about.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was one that was understood by the power engineers, but certainly not understood by governments, and not very well by regulators or by the general public.\u201d<\/p>\n Janetzki said two machines would be located at the Calliope River Substation near Gladstone, and the other two in Nebo and Stanwell.<\/p>\n \u201cPowerlink\u2019s essential work to reinforce our transmission network in Central Queensland is vital to ensure Queensland\u2019s energy security and reliability into the future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWork to upgrade, strengthen and enable new generation in Central Queensland will benefit industries, local communities and our state\u2019s economy for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n The government refused to reveal the cost of the deal, citing commercial in confidence reasons, but the machines typically cost about $135 million each, according to a report from the Australian Energy Market Operator<\/a>.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"These](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4240466630593ad11310511002b68153f862c7b3e01259cc1f6dfecd0aa74921.jpeg\")
These massive spinning machines will help Queensland transition to renewable energy.Image courtesy of Baker Hughes. Copyright 2026 Baker Hughes Company. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n![\"Queensland](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/a90637fd87a0dca19affbcbf1e60f1c96bd67ba7.jpeg\")
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James Hall<\/a> is the News Director at the Brisbane Times. He is the former Queensland correspondent at The Australian Financial Review and has reported for a range of mastheads across the country, specialising on political and finance reporting.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"April 20, 2026 \u2014 8:07pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":596527,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,79],"class_list":["post-596526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=596526"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596526\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/596527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=596526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=596526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=596526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}