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Gold Coast and Townsville Airports will be powered entirely by renewable energy from next year.
In a seven-year deal with CS Energy, Queensland Airports Limited (QAL) will switch the two airports over to 100 per cent renewable power sources, including Kennedy Energy Park and Columboola, Hughenden, and Moura solar farms, as of midnight on New Year’s Day.
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The move is part of QAL’s Net Zero 2030 plan for Gold Coast and Townsville Airports, which between them see more than 8 million passengers per year. It follows Cairns Airport in March also pledging to switch to 100 per cent renewables from early 2025.
“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,” QAL CEO Amelia Evans said.
“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 way finding.”
According to CS Energy CEO Darren Busine, the agreement is a “significant moment” for Queensland tourism and Australia’s aviation sector as it works to reduce emissions.
“Our customers’ energy needs have evolved, and our business is evolving with them,” Busine said.
“As our customers work towards meeting their decarbonisation 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 towards their net zero targets.”
Gold Coast Airport’s draft Master Plan, released in March and available online, envisions a hub for communities in the Gold Coast and northern NSW, with a particular focus on the next eight years.
“We want to be more than an airport, we’re committed to creating a mixed-use precinct that would further benefit the local community, with the addition of a retail village, health and wellness hub and a conference and tech centre,” Evans said earlier this year.
“The upgrades proposed under this Master Plan are about embracing innovation and new technologies that will revolutionise air travel and enhance the customer experience.
“We’ve placed a strong focus on accessibility, ensuring the airport precinct is seamlessly connected with the rest of the city with the delivery of a public front-of-terminal plaza servicing both light and heavy rail.”
