Companies linked to Urannah Dam project donate more than $150,000 to Liberal National party

Companies linked to the proponent of the massive Urannah Dam project in north Queensland have given more than $150,000 to the Liberal National party, including a donation made a week after the Morrison government promised to spend $483m on its construction.

Guardian Australia can reveal that the detailed business case, released publicly in recent weeks, includes an economic analysis that shows a negative return on investment. Every dollar spent would generate about 95c in benefit by 2050, it says.

As questions mount about the merit of the project, more detail has emerged about political connections between the proponent, Bowen River Utilities, a complex suite of associated companies, their employees, and the LNP.

Guardian Australia has previously reported that the sole director of Bowen River Utilities, John Cotter Jr, is a former member of the LNP state executive committee.

Bowen River Utilities employs the wife of federal MP Julian Simmonds, former lobbyist Madeline Simmonds, as its communications manager.

Initiative Capital has previously been described as a private sector investor in the Urannah project, and Cotter has previously spoken about attempts to find additional dam investment in the US. Bowen River Utilities staff have previously listed their employer in online profiles as Initiative Capital.

Analysis of a preliminary business case, commissioned by the Mackay Conservation Group, put the potential benefit as low as 26c in the dollar.

A significant group of Indigenous traditional owners, including some of the proponents of the controversial Collinsville coal-fired power station, are opposed to the dam project.

The company expects to finalise a draft environmental impact statement in the coming weeks.