Queensland Energy Bill Removes Renewable Energy Targets, With A Shift To Infrastructure Focus

The Queensland Government has introduced the Energy Roadmap Amendment Bill 2025 (the Energy Bill), amending Queensland's energy legislation in efforts to achieve the Crisafulli Government's policy goal of affordable, reliable and sustainable energy while simplifying legislative frameworks and improving administrative efficiency. The Energy Bill implements the policy approach set out in the Queensland Energy Roadmap (Roadmap), which we overviewed in this previous article.

Queensland has diverged from the federal Government's approach to the energy transition and has replaced the previous Queensland Labor Government's renewable energy targets with a flexible planning framework, which is intended to streamline governance and reinforce public ownership commitments. The LNP have, however, reaffirmed in the Roadmap that they are committed to reaching net zero by 2050.

Snapshot

• The Energy (Renewable Transformation and Jobs) Act 2024 will be renamed to Energy (Infrastructure Facilitation) Act 2024 (the Energy Act), reflecting a change in policy direction. The Queensland Government's goal is to achieve an affordable, reliable and market-driven flexible approach for energy planning.
• The Energy Bill will introduce ongoing infrastructure support, including for the CopperString Project and the Regional Energy Hubs (formerly the Renewable Energy Zones).
• There will be repeals: of both the renewable energy targets and three advisory bodies (the Energy Industry Council, the Queensland Energy System Advisory Board and the Queensland Renewable Energy Jobs Advocate), in efforts to reduce administrative complexity and costs.
• The Queensland Government has committed to 100% ownership of its pre-existing operational generation assets.

The Energy Bill's Timeline

The Government is running an expedited consultation process, with an intent to pass the Bill by the end of the year.

Submissions Close: Thursday 30 October 2025, 12:00pm

Public Briefing: Monday 27 October 2025, 10:30am

Public Hearings: Wednesday 29 October 2025, 9:00am

Committee Report Due: Friday 5 December 2025

Expected Passage: December 2025 Parliamentary sittings

Stakeholders who wish to provide feedback on the Bill should seek to attend the public briefing (27 October 2025) and hearings (29 October 2025), and provide submissions by 30 October 2025. The Committee is due to issue its report on 5 December 2025, and we expect that the Bill will be passed during the December 2025 Parliamentary sittings.

CopperString & Infrastructure Focus

The Energy Bill introduces a new Part 8 to the Energy Act, establishing a regulation-making head of power for economic regulation to support the delivery of the CopperString Project, which aims to connect Mount Isa to the national electricity grid near Woodstock via a new transmission network. The CopperString amendments focus on ministerial powers for identifying project stages and managing the financial regulations, for example, the regulation of electricity charges.

The Energy Bill also retains and enhances the Priority Transmission Investment framework and rebrands the Renewable Energy Zones as Regional Energy Hubs, a key aspect being the shift from renewables and a pivot to State infrastructure, such as CopperString. One of the factors that must be considered in declaring a Regional Energy Hub is the impact of the declaration on Queensland communities.

Governance and Ownership Reforms

The repeal of the Energy Industry Council, Queensland Energy System Advisory Board, and Renewable Energy Jobs Advocate reflects a policy shift intended to achieve administrative efficiency. The Energy Bill confirms the government's commitment to 100% public ownership of existing operational generation assets, with ongoing reporting obligations replacing fixed targets. The targets pertaining to public ownership strategy include:

1. a target of maintaining 100% public ownership of operational generation assets publicly owned on commencement and remain operational, removing the minimum 54% generation asset target to be achieved by 2035; and
2. retention of the government's 100% public ownership for transmission, distribution and deep storage assets, but replaced as ongoing targets instead of a target to be met by 2035. Part of the ongoing target requires the Minister to prepare a report by 31 May 2027, in intervals of 2 years thereafter, announcing whether the public ownership targets were achieved.

All in All – the Legislative Intention and how it compares to Australia more broadly

The Energy Bill'salignment with the Queensland Energy Roadmap and the Queensland Productivity Commission's October 2025 advice demonstrates a coordinated policy effort to reform the energy sector in Queensland.

While the strong commitment in the Roadmap to prolonging the life of coal fired power stations diverges from other States and Territories and the Commonwealth Government, the position across Australia in relation to legislated targets for renewable energy is mixed, although all States and Territories have Net Zero Emissions targets in place by or before 2050.

How we can help

Our full-service Queensland-based energy team is a part of our market leading Australian and global energy sector capability and has deep experience advising on energy infrastructure, project delivery, and regulatory compliance in Queensland, Australia and globally. We can assist with strategic bid preparation, navigating policy and eligibility criteria, and structuring partnerships with GOCs and government agencies. Now is the time to prepare for Queensland's next wave of energy investment.

If you would like to discuss how the Roadmap or the Energy Bill affects your project or investment plans, please contact us to begin the conversation.

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