Studies for the Abbot Point environmental impact statement (EIS) began yesterday, which if approved will enable construction of the port expansion.
The construction project will create 120 new jobs over a period of four months, after which port employment will consist of flow-on supply chain roles, according to Natural Resources and Mines minister Anthony Lynham.
The minister said the Queensland government was committed to a balance of protecting the environment and delivering infrastructure projects.
“That’s why we canned the Newman Government’s plan to dump dredge spoil in the Caley Valley Wetlands and will instead place dredged material on unused industrial land next to the existing coal terminal,” he said.
“The port expansion is a critical element for unlocking the coal reserves in the Galilee basin, which has the capacity to take Queensland’s coal industry to the next level and create thousands of jobs.”
Lynham said the EIS would take from six to nine months to complete, and will be fully funded by Adani.
The number of jobs which will be created by the Carmichael project has generated some controversy, with an expert witness brought by Adani to the Land Court saying the mine will create only 1464 full-time jobs, compared with the figure of 10,000 touted by Adani and the Queensland Resources Council.
Downer EDI recently faced complaints lodged with the ASX that their announcement about signing a partnership with Adani had overstated the number of jobs which would be generated, and potentially affected investor movement in the wake of their agreement.
The Abbot Point expansion 25 km north-west of Bowen, will increase port capacity by 70 million tonnes per annum to cater for additional coal from the Galilee basin, achieving a total capacity of 120 million tonnes per annum.