The $A35 million project consists of:
“¢ The further development of Origin’s CSG fields;
“¢ A gas transmission pipeline to the Queensland coast; and,
“¢ A gas processing plant and associated facilities where the gas will be cooled and liquefied for shipping overseas.
The LNG facility, to be located at Gladstone, will include up to four trains, which when operational, are expected to produce up to 14 – 16 MMt/a of LNG.
Origin will be responsible for the development and management of the CSG facilities including the gas fields and pipelines. Joint venture partner ConocoPhillips will be responsible for the construction and management of the LNG plant on behalf of the project joint venture company, APLNG.
“We’re creating a new, long-term industry in Queensland which will deliver jobs and further investment in the region,”? APLNG Project Director Todd Creeger said.
The Queensland Government said that up to 5,000 construction jobs could be created, and up to 1,000 people could have ongoing jobs to run the gas fields, processing plant and export facility once it is built.
State Infrastructure and Planning Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said “The Government will do everything in its power to encourage an LNG industry and create jobs across Queensland, from out ports to the gas fields out west.
“That’s why we have cleared the way for a gas “˜super-highway’ and committed up to $A30 million to buy the corridor for an underground gas pipeline from Callide to Curtis Island off Gladstone, where LNG plants are being proposed.”?
A specialist LNG Industry Unit has been established in the Queensland Office of the Coordinator-General, to provide a single point of entry into government for companies investing in this new industry.
Discussions are continuing with relevant parties in terms of suitable sites for the CSG to LNG Project, and the significant project declaration will allow the Terms of Reference to be set for an Environmental Impact Statement.