Queensland’s renewable energy ‘whiplash’: how the shift from coal stalled in Australia’s most polluting state

The Western Downs green power hub solar farm, the largest currently operating in Australia, south of Chinchilla, Queensland. The state government has reversed many renewable energy-friendly policies, campaigners say. Photograph: Aston Brown/The Guardian

For all involved, it felt like Queensland’s transition away from coal-fired power was happening at speeds never seen before.

It was 2024, and the rubber was hitting the road hard on the Labor government’s plans to get the power grid almost entirely off coal by 2035.