The new government of the Queensland rejects the plan of widening of the port of Abbot Point



The new government of the Australian State of the Queensland guided by Campbell Newman, leader of the National Liberal Party (LNP), has announced the decision to block the plan of expansion of the port of Abbot Point, dedicated to the traffic of the coal, that six new terminals with an investment of nine billions of Australian dollars previewed to place side by side to current the three harbour terminals others ( on 1° December 2011).

"It was becoming impossible to deny - the vice prime Minister Jeff Seeney has explained today - than the industry was not in favor of Multi Cargo Facility (MCF) which got ahead from the precedence labourist government", executive who was guided by Anna Bligh. "As government - he has added - we have the responsibility to guarantee that any plan for the port of Abbot Point takes in consideration the necessities shortly and long term of the industry".

The new conservative government, which installed last March, has decided instead reorganizing the plan only putting into effect the potenziamento of current the three harbour terminals, developing the terminals T2 and T3 and widening terminal T1. "We consider - Seeney has said - that the widening of Abbot Point would have to be gradual. It will be proceeded with the T2 terminals and T3 and, while the widening will be on, we will discuss with the industry on which additional ability it is necessary".

"The proposals delineated from the Bligh government - it has continued Seeney - were unrealistic and not feasible. Never they would not have been transformed in reality". "Our focalization on the terminals T2 and T3 - it has emphasized - constitutes a more practical and effective approach for the widening of infrastructures of Abbot Point".

If the project of widening of Abbot Point endures a stop, it goes ahead instead that for the construction of a terminal for the coal in the port of Gladstone. Always today, in fact, the vice Seeney prime Minister, that he covers the charge of minister for the Development of the State, infrastructures and the programming, has announced the start of the phase of public consultation on the project of the Yarwun Coal Terminal, that he exactly previews the realization of a terminal for coal to Gladstone with an Australian investment of 2,2 billion dollars. "The terminal planned from the Tenement to Terminal Limited (3TL) - Seeney has remembered - could export per year until 50 million tons of coal, joining to the planned terminalistica ability of Gladstone for the coal, as to the Wiggins Island, whose first phase is approved of". "Since the question of coal exports is in increase - it has found - is therefore infrastructure necessity that satisfies the increasing volume of coal production in the Queensland".