1.2.3.1.17 Galilee Basin State Development Area

To facilitate the development of infrastructure required for the Galilee Basin coal mines, the Queensland Government declared the Galilee Basin State Development Area (GBSDA) in June 2014 (DSDIP, 2014b). According to the Queensland Government, the GBSDA will assist in properly planning and coordinating the development of the coal mines and associated infrastructure in the Galilee Basin, including the six most advanced coal mining projects currently planned. The GBSDA seeks to lower upfront development costs to help stimulate development of the coal resources in the southern and central basin (DSDIP, 2013).

As part of the GBSDA, the Queensland Government has announced their preferred options for the rail corridors proposed by various companies as part of integrated mine-rail-port developments in the Galilee Basin. These are:

  • An approximately 500 m wide east–west corridor to extend the existing QR rail network from near Moranbah to the central Galilee Basin, and provide links to coal ports at Abbott Point, Dalrymple Bay and Dudgeon Point. This is consistent with the rail network extension proposed by Adani Mining to service the Carmichael coal mine (Section 1.2.3.1.4), and would also likely be used by the proposed China Stone coal mine (and any others within the central Galilee Basin that may be developed in the future).
  • An approximately 500 m wide north–south rail corridor consistent with the rail alignment proposed by GVK Hancock (1.2.3.1.1) to link proposed mines in the southern Galilee Basin (such as Alpha and Kevin’s Corner) to the coal port at Abbott Point.

Given the preference of the GBSDA to favour development of these two rail lines, the future of other proposed rail networks previously outlined in this section (such as that proposed by Waratah Coal for the China First Coal Mine) is currently uncertain.

Further information about the Galilee Basin State Development Area and the proposed framework for infrastructure options including rail, roads, water, ports and power is available from the Queensland Government (DSDIP, 2014b).

Last updated:
5 January 2018
Thumbnail of the Galilee subregion

Product Finalisation date

2014
PRODUCT CONTENTS

ASSESSMENT