Supplier spotlight: Earthland Group.

With the opportunity to upskill their workforce and attract workers back to the region with local jobs, the proposed Borumba Pumped Hydro Project is good news for Tegan and Bruce Sutherland, owners of Imbil-based civil contracting business Earthland Group.

After 17 years in business, they know their strengths – earthmoving, forestry, road maintenance, clearing – and having worked on major projects including the Gympie Bypass, their skilled workforce can tackle a range of complex civil earthmoving jobs.

Those strengths are what helped Earthland Group secure some of the early packages of work for the Borumba Pumped Hydro Project.

“When the Borumba Project came up, we thought ‘that’s us’,” explains Tegan, Accounts Manager. “That’s the work we do. We knew it was coming and we tendered from there.”

Queensland Hydro engaged Earthland Group to deliver road safety upgrades on Walkers Top Road, near the proposed upper reservoir, to help improve site access. This work has included shaping the road, sheeting to make it weatherproof, installing a safety bund and widening the road. Earthland Group is also assisting with investigation work for cultural artefacts with the Kabi Kabi Traditional Owners.

“One of the reasons I like working with Queensland Hydro is that there’s a lot of communication – whether it’s with an onsite supervisor or behind the scenes – they communicate what they want, and if they’re not sure, they’re asking for advice,” explains Tegan.

“I’ve been very big my entire life on transparency – I think there’s very little that can go wrong if you’re transparent. And Queensland Hydro are like that too.”

About ten years ago, Earthland Group moved from their original base in Gympie to Imbil and have been based in town ever since. Their work takes them from Maryborough all the way down to Brisbane, but Tegan says they prefer to keep the work local.

In fact, one of the highlights of working on the Borumba Project has been the opportunity for Earthland Group to expand their team. According to Tegan, many skilled local workers in the region head up north to find work in the mines – but now they can be at home, close to their families.

“Since starting, we’ve actually employed several more locals, and created a little team that we send onto site works.

“We’ve got at least three local fellas with young familes. We’ve got an 18-year-old from Gympie [who we’ve employed] as a spotter – we’re going to upskill him and get him ticketed up.

“These are all things we haven’t had the opportunity to do. Being at the Borumba Project has helped that opportunity.”

If the Borumba Pumped Hydro Project proceeds, it will be a game-changer for the region. More than 2,000 workers are expected during peak construction, with up to 50 ongoing operational roles. These roles have flow-on effects more broadly for existing local business, including small and medium-sized business in sectors such as food and beverage, fuel suppliers and grocery stores. 

Tegan is confident about the economic value that the Borumba Pumped Hydro Project will bring to the region.

“[Project like this] bring business opportunities into the area, brings people back to the region – brings locals back to work here.

“It is a lifestyle living out here. You’ve got a dam right there you can play in, it’s close to Noosa.

“Economically bringing work to the town, how can that not be a good thing!”

Find out more about supplier opportunities on the Borumba Pumped Hydro Project by visiting our Suppliers page.

About the Borumba Pumped Hydro project 

The proposed Borumba Pumped Hydro Project is a 2,000 MW pumped hydro energy storage system at Lake Borumba, located near Imbil, 45 minutes south-west of Gympie. 

It forms a critical part of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan, delivering reliability and stability for the State’s energy transition and completing the clean energy picture.

In June 2023, the Queensland Government committed $6 billion to progress the Project. Pending approvals, the Project is targeting first power in 2030.

Read more about the project here.

First published 15 January 2024.