A $400 million development at the Port of Gladstone has been given a major boost with Queensland’s Coordinator-General confirming the proposal has been given significant project status.
The project will see a second channel created in the harbour, effectively a duplicate of the existing Gatcombe and Golding Cutting channel, measuring 16m deep and 200m wide, and stretching for a distance of just over 9km.
The addition of a second thoroughfare will establish a two-way traffic system designed to improve both the efficiency and capacity of the port. Work is expected to start in early 2014 and end in 2015 after a period of 20 months. As many as 120 jobs are expected to be directly created in constructing and operating the new channel.
The Port of Gladstone is already one of Australia’s biggest and busiest multi-commodity ports, and is home to the fourth largest coal export terminal in the world (RGTCT). In 1992, the Gladstone Ports Corporation launched an ambitious 50-year plan to further develop facilities and grow annual export capabilities to around 300 million tonnes of cargo by the year 2042.
Currently, there are a number of major export facilities being built around the port, with Santos GLNG, QCG and Australia Pacific LNG all having begun construction on Curtis Island, and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Ltd beginning development at Fisherman’s Landing. A fifth facility, belonging to Arrow Energy, is also expected on Curtis Island. These facilities, expected to begin exporting between 2014 and 2017, will have a combined annual export capability of 35 million tonnes.
While the economic benefits are clear to many, there are concerns over the effects that the project may have on the environment, as it will involve the disposal of dredge spoil and the construction of new channel navigation aids.
The plans have now been opened up to the public, with the draft terms of reference available for viewing until November 5, when public submissions will end. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will include a close assessment of the social and economic impact of the plan, as well as the effect it may have on the environment.
Queensland’s Deputy Premier, Jeff Seeney, who is also the Minister for State Development and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, has invited as much public comment as possible before the EIS is settled upon.
“The co-operation and timely responses from relevant Commonwealth agencies will be very important, to complement our own streamlined approval approaches,” he said.
However, development of a second channel has not yet been guaranteed full approval. Following the completion of the EIS, developers will have to wait for a decision from the Commonwealth Environment Minister, Tony Burke, as to whether the project is deemed a “controlled action” or not.
Should it be deemed so, then it will need to satisfy conditions set out by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999) before the green light can be given.
If you are concerned that these developments may impact on your ocean freight services please don’t hesitate to call ICE to discuss your concerns.
