The Queensland Government will invest $A11 million into a new 24.7 km gas pipeline in Bundaberg, increasing business prospects and jobs for the region.\
According to Premier Campbell Newman up to 100 new full-time jobs and 600 indirect jobs could be created.
The Bundaberg Gas Pipeline will begin at the existing Wide Bay pipeline, situated west of Bundaberg, and extend through to the Port of Bundaberg.
Funding of the Bundaberg Gas Pipeline will be provided by the LNP Queensland Government, through Economic Development Queensland.
Federal push for national gas grid
Federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane has given the strongest indication yet that the Federal Government is open to developing a national gas grid, commenting that such a development could help avoid a potential gas shortage on the east coast.
Mr Macfarlane said he’s recently been in discussions with Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles and New South Wales Energy Minister Anthony Roberts to evaluate the possibility of developing a national gas market that could potentially send gas from the Western Australia’s Browse Basin to Sydney.
“The only solution to the gas supply problem in NSW appears to be interconnection,” Mr Macfarlane said.
“It could become very expensive. There are people speculating it could cost $10/GJ or more.”
Mr Macfarlane said that by developing a national grid, gas could theoretically be delivered from the Browse Basin to the east coast, though trading based on gas swaps would be more likely to occur.
Fly-overs commence for potential NT to East Coast Pipeline routes
APA Group is now considering three possible routes for its proposed Northern Territory to East Coast Gas Grid Pipeline, with further options also being evaluated.
The latest pipeline option is a 700 km pipeline connecting the NT to the Carpentaria Gas Pipeline.
APA had previously flagged two possible options for the link, with one being an 620 km pipeline from Tennant Creek to Mt Isa for an estimated cost of $A900 million, and the second being a 1,100 km pipeline from Alice Springs to the Santos-operated Moomba gas plant in South Australia for approximately $A1.3 billion.
Feasibility studies are currently underway and are expected to be completed in the 2015-16 financial year, while APA has also said it is maintaining an ongoing dialogue with the Federal, State and Territory governments and other stakeholders.
APA to develop new Goldfields pipeline
APA Group is set to develop a new 292 km gas transmission pipeline to supply mining operations in the eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia, for an estimated cost of $A140 million.
The announcement follows two new long-term gas transportation agreements with AngloGold Ashanti Australia for the transportation of gas from Yarraloola, at the northern tip of the existing Goldfields Gas Pipeline, to AngloGold’s Sunrise Dam and Tropicana gold mining operations.
Engineering, design and procurement work has already commenced on the Eastern Goldfields Pipeline and associated infrastructure, with completion expected prior to January 2016, when gas transportation services are due to commence.
The Goldfields Gas Transmission Pipeline is a 1,380 km, 350-400 mm diameter pipeline that supplies natural gas from Western Australia’s northwest to mines in the Pilbara and Goldfields regions, along with the 84 km, 219 mm diameter Murrin Murrin Lateral.
Last GLNG module completed
The last of the modules for the Santos GLNG Project has left Batangas in the Philippines, where it was being constructed, bound for Curtis Island off the coast of Queensland.
All 111 modules for the project have now been completed at the yard following two years of construction and years of design and planning.
Bechtel’s GLNG Curtis Island site team will now continue to install and commission the modules.
The GLNG Project involves the development of gas fields in the Bowen and Surat basins, the construction of a 420 km underground gas transmission pipeline, and a two-train LNG processing facility on Curtis Island at Gladstone.
DBP progressing on WA projects, potential Fortescue River Gas Pipeline expansion
DBP Development Group continues to make good progress on its two gas transmission pipelines currently under construction in Western Australia.
Both the wholly-owned 109 km Wheatstone-Ashburton West Pipeline and the 270 km Fortescue River Gas Pipeline are expected to be completed around the end of the year and within budget.
Construction on the Wheatstone-Ashburton West Pipeline is currently 65 per cent complete, following approval of the pipeline licence from the Western Australian Department of Mines and Petroleum, with plans being finalised to tie into the Wheatstone domestic gas plant.
The company also flagged the possible expansion of the Fortescue River Gas Pipeline to additional iron ore resource projects in the future.
DBP Development Group (DDG) formed a joint venture with TransAlta’s wholly-owned subsidiary TEC Pilbara to build, own and operate the Fortescue River Gas Pipeline.
DDG holds a 57 per cent interest in the joint venture and TransAlta holds 43 per cent.
Construction begins on 45 km Dingo Pipeline
Central Petroleum has commenced construction on its 45 km Dingo Gas Field Pipeline to Brewer Estate in Alice Springs, as part of the company’s Dingo Gas Field Development.
Building is currently underway on the Dingo pipeline and facility, with further prospects suggested around the Dingo and Ooraminna gas fields.
The raw gas will be treated to pipeline sales gas quality in a proposed city gate gas treatment facility at Brewer Industrial Estate.
A proposed sales gas pipeline will transport the sales gas to a connection point on an Envestra-owned pipeline supplying gas to the Owen Springs Power Station at Brewer Industrial Estate.
Central acquired the Dingo Gas Field through the acquisition of the material onshore assets of Magellan Petroleum Australia.
Arrow lodges final plans for Bowen Pipeline
Arrow Energy has released the final preliminary documentation for its plans to develop a 580 km pipeline from north of Moranbah to Gladstone, Queensland.
The Arrow Bowen Pipeline will be between 610-860 mm in diameter and will be buried at least 750 mm, with the proposed route beginning in the southern part of the Whitsunday region through the Isaac, Rockhampton and Gladstone local government areas.
The construction process will involve a 40 m right-of-way (ROW), with work to last around three to six months at any point along the construction ROW, given favourable weather.
The pipeline’s environmental impact statement was approved by the Queensland Government in March 2013, while an application for Commonwealth approval is still being assessed.
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