General News
13 August, 2025
CopperString boss calls it quits as CEO of Powerlink
The decision has drawn a mixed response from the community.
After five years as chief executive of Powerlink Queensland, Paul Simshauser has stepped down from the role.
He said he joined Powerlink in 2020 with clear goals in mind.
This included returning Powerlink to a high growth environment and harnessing its world-class power system planning skills to help guide the market transformation.
His focus was also on ensuring Powerlink’s employees were ready for and engaged in the complexity of the transformation ahead of Queensland.
“Above all, I wanted Powerlink’s people to be very clear that we are here to serve Queenslanders in everything we do,” Mr Simshauser said.
“Over the past five years, I’ve witnessed extraordinary commitment to those objectives and I leave with full confidence in the direction we have now charted.
“We have connected more than 40 renewable and battery projects – some still in-flight – representing a combined capacity of around 9500 MW. That is an incredible achievement that we can be extremely proud of.”
Mr Simshauser will finish as chief executive in mid-November to do a short university research stint before returning to the private sector at a later stage.
Bob Katter welcomed his resignation, claiming his replacement might “take the bull by the horns and build the vital CopperString electricity link between Townsville and Mount Isa”.
“Two-and-a-half years after the CopperString decision was approved – and still not a single order completed for the wire or the steel for the pylons,” Mr Katter claimed.
“When I had the responsibility under the Bjelke-Petersen Government, I built the transmission line from Cairns to Normanton in three years – and that was without the billions being thrown around today.
“I’m sick to death of Brisbane bureaucrats being paid an extortionate amount of taxpayers money to sit on their butts and do nothing. The timing appears particularly curious given the fact that Mount Isa is hanging on a thread with the closure of the Glencore mine and smelter.
“We’ve got huge political attention on Mount Isa and the CEO charged with the delivery of major infrastructure running to the hills.”