Qld: Federal govt gives green light to coal terminal expansion

AAP General News (Australia)
04-21-2008
Qld: Federal govt gives green light to coal terminal expansion

By Gabrielle Dunlevy

BRISBANE, April 21 AAP - One of Australia's largest coal terminals has been approved
for central Queensland.

Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett has signed off on the environmental impact
study for Wiggins Island Coal Terminal, an expansion of Gladstone port's coal terminal.

It follows the Queensland government's approval earlier this year.

Premier Anna Bligh said the terminal would open in 2012-13, employing 500 people in
construction and 130 in operation.

Ms Bligh said the first $1.3 billion stage of the expansion would boost Gladstone's
coal exports by a third, or 25 million tonnes, and generate up to $1.8 billion annually.

"When I was in India and China during my recent overseas trade mission, one of the
constant recurring themes was the rapidly escalating demand out of those two growing economies
for Queensland coal," Ms Bligh told reporters in Brisbane today.

"Critical to that is getting the coal out of the ports."

Infrastructure Minister Paul Lucas said the expansion would take Gladstone's port to
its limit, handling 75 million tonnes of coal each year.

"I think it's unlikely that there will be further coal port development there at Gladstone,"

he said.

A $500 million rail upgrade - the Moura Link-Aldoga Rail Project - will be carried
out to take coal to the new terminal.

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KEYWORD: PORTS QLD

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