Clough win $600m LNG contract

Clough has been awarded the infrastructure construction contract for Santos’ GLNG project in the Surat Basin. It will see the contractor build more than 400 kilometres of gas and water transmission pipelines, and two compression facilities, as well as an 800 person camp. The contractor will also expand existing compression facilities. Construction work is scheduled to begin this month, and at the peak of operations employ around 650 people. “This is a significant project award and represents a breakthrough for our recently established coal seam gas division into the expanding coal seam gas industry,” Clough CEO John Smith said. GLNG is a project aiming to convert coal seam gas into LNG for export, and is part of Santos’ clean energy drive. It sources CSG from the Bowen and Surat basins then transports it, via a 420 kilometre underground pipe, to a two-train LNG plant on Curtis Island. GLNG is a joint venture between Santos, PETRONAS, Total, and KOGAS. * By Cole Latimer on 15 September 2011

Coal exploration his record highs, ABS says

Despite uncertainty in the market, coal exploration has hit record highs, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show. A report yesterday showed that more than $207 million was spent on coal exploration in the June quarter, far above the previous record of $122 million in the December quarter, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. This close to double the previous corresponding June period, and comes on the back of a 33% jump in thermal coal prices forecast for the next 12 months, and a 50% hike in the prices for coking coal. Iron ore exploration nearly doubled for the quarter, to $214.7 million. Total exploration for the quarter was also a new high, sitting a $907 million, up nearly a third from $650 million three months earlier. By Cole Latimer

Employment outlook bright for regional Qld

Mining projects help to boost the State's employment market as national hiring optimism continues to dwindle, Manpower survey shows. login to full article

Mining boom fuels trade surplus

CHINA and India's demand for Australian mining riches has kept the country's trade surplus at $1.8 billion. Official figures released yesterday showed the trade surplus for July was broadly unchanged despite a 0.9 per cent drop in the value of exports - much of it a result of the delayed recovery from the Queensland floods, which hit coal production. The fall was counterbalanced by a 0.9 per cent drop in the value of imports. It is the fifth consecutive month Australia has recorded a trade surplus, where the value of exports outstrips the cost of imports. Most economists expect the gap to widen as exports increase above the $26.4 billion recorded in July, with commodity prices forecast to remain at record highs. BY STEPHEN MCMAHON Herald Sun Read more...

Operation shut over asbestos fears

Canberra's construction industry could face weeks of delays, with plasterboard distributor Boral shut down yesterday over fears for the safety of workers. Late yesterday, WorkSafe ACT issued the Barrier Street plasterboard distribution centre with a prohibition notice, forcing the company to immediately close its doors. For months the agency had been working with Boral over fears crumbling asbestos walls in the ageing Fyshwick building were placing workers in danger. Work Safety commissioner Mark McCabe said company practice was to stack plasterboard against the asbestos walls. Workers reported fork lifts regularly struck the walls, breaking asbestos sheeting apart. As The Canberra Times revealed last fortnight, WorkSafe ACT had ordered a clean-up of the site and had also issued an improvement notice. It also required the company to conduct regular tests to ensure workers were not put at risk and ordered Boral to screen workers for any exposure to the dangerous substance. BY BIANCA HALL Read more...

RIO INVESTS IN PILBARA IRON ORE WATER SUPPLY

Rio Tinto will invest more than $300 million to ensure a water supply for its Pilbara iron ore operations. The coastal water supply project, which will involved the construction of a new borefield and pipeline system, will be completed by the middle of 2013, and provide enough water, around ten gigalitres annually, to accommodate the expansion of annual production up to 333 million tonnes. By Cole Latimer Read more...

DAM AND PIPELINE PROPOSALS FOR GALILEE BASIN

The Queensland government is looking at private sector proposals for the $4 billion development of a new wharf at Abbot Point and dam in central Queensland. The government said the projects were an important part of the development of the coal rich Galilee Basin in western Queensland. One of the major constraints to activity in the basin is its lack of water, which the Government hopes will be solved by the $2.6bn Connors River Dam and pipelines proposal The development will include a 49,500 megalitre dam and two pipelines. By Andrew Duffy Read more...