New gas pipeline project offers jobs

A new $80 million gas pipeline project in southern Queensland would offer 170 jobs, State Development Minister Anthony Lynham said today.

Dr Lynham welcomed the announcement by APA, Australia’s largest natural gas infrastructure business, about the new 50 km bi-directional pipeline.

“The construction of this pipeline is great news for jobs,” he said.

“With construction to start in 2017, the project is estimated to create 170 jobs including 20 permanent jobs within land access, approvals, technical design and procurement teams and 100 to 150 jobs for the construction phase of the project.

Dr Lynham said this would give APLNG the flexibility to send gas either to Gladstone for export LNG production or directly to the domestic gas market.

“My Department of Natural Resources and Mines is currently assessing APA’s application for a petroleum survey licence as the first step to investigating various alternative pipeline routes between the existing facilities,” he said.

“The resources industries continues to provide jobs and business opportunities for Queensland’s regional communities, with this project coming on top of QGC’s $1.7 billion Charlie natural gas development near Wandoan,” he said.

The pipeline will link APA's Wallumbilla Hub to the Australia Pacific LNG Pipeline at Reedy Creek north of Wallumbilla in southern Queensland.

The new APA pipeline will have a capacity of up to 300 terajoules a day and mean that more Queensland gas can be transported to southern states via Wallumbilla and then to Moomba in South Australia.

Construction will start in 2017 and the pipeline is forecast to be commissioned in mid-2018.

 [ENDS]                 7 September, 2016

Media inquiries:          Jan Martin 0439 341 314