LNG exports a boon for Queensland

Gladstone is becoming an economic gateway for Queensland as LNG exports ramp up, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said in Gladstone today.

Speaking at the dedication ceremony of the QCLNG Plant on Curtis Island, the world’s first facility to produce LNG from natural gas, Ms Palaszczuk said Queensland’s overseas merchandise exports were up 10.8 per cent between the March Quarter this year and the March Quarter last year.

“This is due to a rise in exports of meat, coal and the first three months of LNG shipments,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“This is an industry made possible thanks to the foresight of previous Labor Government to embrace what was then an industry of the future.”

The QCLNG plant production is expected to plateau at eight million tonnes a year annum during 2016, sending around 120 shipments a year to China, Japan, Singapore, India and Chile.  

Ms Palaszczuk said building an export industry of this scale in just seven years was an incredible achievement.

“I congratulate QGC and its parent company BG Group and CNOOK and all the other partners for your investment in Queensland,” she said.

“I pay tribute to the previous Labor Governments who worked with the industry to deliver the policy settings that helped make this happen.”

State Development Minister Anthony Lynham said gas was set to play a large part in fulfilling the world’s future energy needs.

“Queensland is in the enviable position of having more than 90 per cent of eastern Australia’s proven and probable coal seam gas reserves within the Surat and Bowen basins,” he said.

“Thanks to projects like this, Queensland is well on track to not only meet the demand, but to do so in a sustainable and responsible way.”

Member for Gladstone Glenn Butcher said that once all three LNG producers at Curtis Island were fully operational, it was estimated they would produce 25 million tonnes per annum of LNG for export.

Mr Butcher said the resources sector was absolutely vital to Queensland and regional centres like Gladstone, and supported more than 78,000 jobs.

“That’s why we support responsible and sustainable development of the resources industry,” he said.

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