Article: Nod for new CQ coal terminal

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Nod for new CQ coal terminal

Nod for new CQ coal terminal
Article from: AAP

Gabrielle Dunlevy

April 21, 2008 03:47pm

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.