Australia Pacific LNG proposes to develop an integrated liquefied natural gas project in Queensland comprising three principal components:

• development of its coal seam gas resources in the Walloon gas fields stretching from Wallumbilla to Chinchilla and southeast to Millmerran
• construction of a 400 km underground gas pipeline to the liquefied natural gas plant at Gladstone
• development of the liquefied natural gas processing and export facility in the Gladstone State Development Area, comprising up to four liquefied natural gas plants or trains with a total capacity of up to 16 million tonnes per annum (a first train to be followed by a sfecond within a year with the development of the third and fourth trains to follow beyond 2015) and an export terminal containing specialised liquefied natural gas loading facilities and berths.

The proponent for the project, Australia Pacific LNG Ltd, (APLNG) is a joint venture of Origin Enerfgy Ltd (Origin) and ConocoPhillips. Origin will be responsible for the construction and management of the coal seam gas (CSG) resource and the related facilities and ConocoPhillips responsible for construction and management of the LNG plant and export facilities on behalf of APLNG.

Origin is the largest integrated energy company operating across Australia and New Zealand. Listed in the ASX top 20 the company has over 4000 employees. Origin is a leading producer of gas in eastern Australia, the largest owner and developer of gas fired electricity generation in Australia and a leading wholesaler and retailer of energy. Origin services more than three and a half million electricity, natural gas and LPG customers across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Origin currently retails natural gas, electricity and LPG to more than 1 million customers in Queensland alone and is the leading producer of CSG, supplying around 25% of Queensland’s total gas requirements.

ConocoPhillips is the third-largest integrated energy company in the United States, based on market capitalisation and oil and natural gas reserves. The company is the fifth-largest refiner and the sixth-largest reserves holder (excluding non government-controlled entities) in the world. ConocoPhillips is a leading developer and operator of LNG projects around the world, has over 25 years experience working with CSG, and is the largest producer of CSG in the United States.

ConocoPhillips Australasia, a subsidiary of ConocoPhillips, is an oil and gas exploration and production company, with assets and exploration activities in the Timor Sea, Northern Territory, Western Australia and Timor-Leste. Its major producing assets are the Bayu-Undan gas condensate field in the Timor Sea, Darwin LNG Plant in the Northern Territory and the 500 km sub-sea pipeline linking the two facilities. The Darwin LNG Plant is the most recent LNG plant developed in Australia, and was successfully delivered on time and on budget.

The proponents estimate the capital expenditure for the project will be approximately $35 billion up to 2020. The project will require a workforce of approximately 4000-5000 people at the peak of construction and provide approximately 1000 permanent jobs during the operation phase.

Environmental impact statement process

On 7 April 2009, the Coordinator-General declared the project to be a 'significant project' for which an environmental impact statement (EIS) is required in accordance with Part 4 of the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 (Qld).

On 3 August 2009, the Commonwealth Minister for Environment, Heritage and the Arts determined the project to be a controlled action which requires assessment and approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) before it can proceed. The controlling provisions being:

• sections 12 and 15A (World Heritage)
• sections 15B and 15C (National Heritage places)
• sections 18 and 18A (Listed threatened species and communities)
• sections 20 and 20A (Listed migratory species)
• sections 16 & 17B (Ramsar Wetlands)

The Department of Infrastructure and Planning will manage the EIS process on behalf of the Coordinator-General. The process is accredited by the Commonwealth and will be undertaken in accordance with a bilateral agreement between the State and Commonwealth.

The draft TOR for the EIS were released for public and advisory agency comment on 29 August 2009 until 12 October 2009.  a total of 20 submissions on the draft TOR were received by the Coordinator-General, including 14 from advisory agencies and 6 from members of the public and private organisations.

Submissions are currently being considered and, where appropriate, incorporated into the finalised TOR which will be issued to Australia Pacific LNG Ltd.

Resources

The following documents are available for viewing or download:

• Draft terms of reference on the EIS ( 869 KB)
• Media Release – Multi-billion dollar Gladstone LNG projects – a step closer (28 August 2009)
• Initial advice statement (2 MB)
• Project concept maps - figure 1 ( 1.1 MB)

Further information

Further information on the project may be obtained via the Australia Pacific LNG Ltd website.

For further information regarding the EIS process for the project, contact Infrastructure and Economic Development Group and address your enquiry to the Australia Pacific LNG project.