A group led by Royal Dutch Shell PLC that includes Queensland Gas Co. (QGC) plans to drill 250 coal seam gas wells during 2019-20 as part of its program in the Western Downs region of Queensland.
The wells will be connected to the existing QGC gas processing plants and produce about 930 petajoules of gas over the next 30 years.
The program has been called Project Goog-a-binge, a name gifted by the Iman traditional owners of the region. Goog-a-binge is the Iman word for scrub turkey, which is an important totem for this Aboriginal group.
Shell Australia Chairman Zoe Yujnovich said the project, which is subject to satisfying federal and state government regulatory approvals, will provide a boost to Queensland’s regional economy through the creation of as many as 350 jobs and the generation of business opportunities for local suppliers. It also will deliver more gas to the Australian East Coast market as well as export LNG customers via the Gladstone CSG-LNG facilities on Curtis Island.
Shell has already spent $140 million (Aus.) in Toowoomba and the local Surat basin communities during this year’s first half. The company currently supplies about 60% of Queensland’s domestic gas demand through its Arrow Energy and QGC subsidiaries.
