A development approval is required for any large-scale renewable energy development in Queensland.  For solar farms, assessments are generally undertaken by the relevant local government whereas wind farms are assessed by the Queensland Government through the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA).

In addition to the development approval, renewable energy projects in Queensland must comply with a number of other State government legislative acts and requirements.  Where projects may have impacts on matters of national environmental significance, proponents may also have to apply for approval under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

Further information on the approvals and assessment processes for large scale renewable energy development in Queensland is available from the Business Queensland website at this link.   The Queensland Renewable Energy Council (QREC) has also mapped both State and Federal approvals pathways and they can be downloaded here.

The time taken for a project to receive the necessary approvals can vary significantly and depends on a number of factors such as complexity, location, potential impacts and scale.  Simpler projects could complete the approvals process in 6-12 months whereas more complex projects that involve application under the EPBC Act could take up to 3 years from application.