Environment

Natural gas is a clean and efficient source of energy with relatively low carbon dioxide emissions.

In fact, gas-fired electricity generation produces about half the greenhouse gas emissions of conventional coal-fired electricity generation and also uses significantly less water.

The Queensland Government has recognised this through an energy policy target for 18% of the state’s electricity to be generated from natural gas by 2020, up from the previous mandate of 13%.

Coal seam gas production for conversion to LNG also represents an exciting possible opportunity to deliver another important resource to southern Queensland: water, released as a by-product of gas extraction.

QGC, a partner in the Queensland Curtis LNG Project, is exploring options for harvesting the water from its operations in the Surat Basin for the benefit of local communities.

QGC has found that water from its coal seam gas operations typically contains 1500-4000 parts per million of dissolved solids, comparing favourably with much of the bore water from the Great Artesian Basin.

Seawater typically contains 35,000 parts per million of total dissolved solids.

In 2006, QGC completed a reverse osmosis trial at its Berwyndale South production facility near Chinchilla, confirming that drinking water can be produced from harvested water.

In early 2008, QGC entered a long-term arrangement to supply more than half a billion litres of potable water each year to the town of Miles in southern Queensland.

Under the landmark water supply agreement, QGC will provide up to 1.5 million litres of purified water each day to the town using proven reverse osmosis technology.

The agreement is for an initial 20-year term and the regional council will have an option to extend the agreement for a further 10 years.