Gas exports from Queensland are facing opposition from environmental lobby groups. They want to prevent environmental risks at the world's first coal seam gas to LNG project. The protests have increased as the BG Group committed US$15 billion to build a liquefied natural gas plant at the Gladstone project.
Work will also begin on the Gladstone plant this week. It is located 550 km north of Brisbane and will take about four years to build. The project is expected to create more than 5,000 jobs in the region.
The project was approved on 22nd October by the federal government after conditions to protect ground water were put in place. Environmentalists are worried about the 450 km underground piple line network which will expand production in gas field in the Surat Basin around Chinchilla.
Friends of the Earth spokesman Drew Hutton said that while the federal government has placed 300 environmental conditions on the development of the project it had allowed the project to proceed without insisting that the company show how it would meet the conditions.
BG Group executive vice-president Catherine Tanna has said that the company is aware of the fears that some hold about the potential impact, but promised that the operation would be environmentally responsible.