QGC

Shell's QGC
FormerlyQGC Pty. Ltd.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryEnergy
Headquarters,
Australia
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Kim Code, SVP East
ProductsNatural gas
ParentShell Australia
Websiteshell.com.au/qgc

Shell's QGC (formerly, QGC Pty. Ltd.)[1] (initials for "Queensland Gas Company") is one of the largest of several Australian coalbed methane companies developing methane reserves within the Bowen and Surat Basins of Queensland. The company has an estimated value of around A$13 billion.

BG Group acquired Queensland Gas Company in November 2008.[2] QGC was included in the February 2016 acquisition of BG Group by Shell.

Operations

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Coal seam gas extraction within the Surat and Bowen Basins of Queensland, Australia forms the basis of the company's main operations. QGC has constructed a coalbed methane liquefaction plant on Curtis Island off the coast of Gladstone in Central Queensland. The company has built a 540-kilometre (340 mi), 42-inch (1,070 mm) diameter pipeline from Miles to Gladstone, making it the longest buried pipeline of its type in Australia.[3] Work was delayed after QGC was found to have contravened state environmental laws.[4]

About 20% of Queensland's natural gas was produced by QGC in 2009.[5]

The company has a gas plant called Kenya, which is located near Tara, Queensland.[6] Three coal seam gas fields Lauren, Codie, and Kate are associated with the Kenya plant.[7] Leakage testing conducted in April and May 2010 found more than half of the wells in these gas fields were leaking extremely low level concentrations of methane.[7]

Environmental protests

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In 2011, Bob Irwin the Australian environmentalist and founder of Australia Zoo, was arrested after protesting against QGC and refusing to obey an order from police to move on.[8] This was part of a long running protest by Tara protestors to disrupt the gas infrastructure being forced on them without their consent.[9]

ABC's Four Corners current affairs program produced several investigative reports on what has been described as the great Australian land grab and the environmental dangers of coal seam gas.

References

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  1. ^ "ASIC National Names Index". Archived from the original on 30 September 2011.
  2. ^ "BG Group History 2008". BG Group. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  3. ^ (16 July 2008). Bechtel to build Curtis LNG plant Archived 2011-10-06 at the Wayback Machine. (Gladstone Observer).
  4. ^ (24 March 2011). QGC stops work on Surat Basin, Gladstone gas pipeline Archived 2011-10-02 at the Wayback Machine. (Industry Search).
  5. ^ "Who we are". Queensland Gas Company. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  6. ^ Georgia Waters (6 June 2011). "Leaking CSG wells 'no threat': Minister". Brisbane Times. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  7. ^ a b Investigation report: Leakage testing of coal seam gas wells in the Tara 'rural residential estates' vicinity (PDF). Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation. 2010. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  8. ^ (12 April 2011). Steve would have been proud, Bob Irwin says after arrest Archived 2011-05-18 at the Wayback Machine. Brisbane Times. (Fairfax Media).
  9. ^ John McCarthy (10 August 2010). Tara residents blockade Queensland Gas Company to stop seismic testing. The Courier-Mail
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