30 April 2019
The NSW Government have given the green light for a $250 million gas import terminal to be built in Port Kembla.
The new berth south of Sydney will house a floating liquid natural gas (LNG) handling facility said to meet the majority of the state’s gas needs and secure thousands of manufacturing jobs.
The gas terminal itself would create 150 construction and 50 ongoing jobs, with 15,000 jobs in gas-dependent businesses across the region according to the Illawarra Business Chamber.
“What this will do is stimulate the economy [and] keep those jobs in Australia, in my mind it means a boost to our manufacturers,” NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said.
Regional Development Australia Illawarra chief executive, Debra Murphy, said the LNG import terminal is “just the beginning”, with the potential for a gas-fired power station nearby.
The proposed gas-fired plant is among a list of 12 ventures the Government will consider underwriting in a bid to meet Australia’s energy demand. The considered projects, included the upgrade of an existing NSW coal-fired power station at Lake Macquarie and five gas and six hydro projects across South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania.
The consortium plans to lodge its planning applications within the next few months and hopes to have the LNG terminal operating from 2020.
