Queensland Premier Anna Bligh this week gave the go-ahead for the $95 million X25 expansion project which will take capacity at the terminal from 21 million tonnes per annum to 25Mtpa.

 

The green light was also given to a $68 million upgrade of the existing stockyard system.

 

Work on the X25 project is to commence in July and be completed by mid-2009 whilst the yard refurbishment is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

 

When announcing the projects, the Government also signalled its intention for future expansion of the port to help cope with the state’s booming coal industry.

 

“The port has the potential to expand further in the future to cater to the needs of the rapidly growing north Queensland economy," Bligh said.

 

Transport Minister John Mickel said Ports Corporation Queensland had already completed the engineering design and an environmental impact study for the additional expansion which will take the terminal's capacity to 50Mtpa.

 

“Expansion beyond 25 million tonnes a year is with the State Government for consideration at present and is dependent on the demand from coal customers and construction of the Northern Missing Link rail line connecting the Goonyella and Newlands systems,” he said.

 

Mickel also revealed an expression of interest had been published for the possible electrification of the tracks in the Goonyella and Newlands systems.

 

The X25 project will include:

 

Fitting out the existing second rail inload pit with infrastructure to become operational, including rail beams, steel hoppers and vibrating feeder system;

Installation of a new inloading conveyor system from the second pit to the stockyard;

Improving the capacity of the existing stockyard conveyors servicing Bund 1; and

Improving the existing outloading conveyors with new drives and pulleys, and in some cases installing wider conveyor belts.