QGC to Build Australian Water Treatment Plant

Queensland Gas Company (QGC) is to build a $350m water treatment plant in Australia’s Western Downs region, which will treat water from its coal seam gas project and supply it to farmers, town residents and industries around Chinchilla.

The contract was awarded to a consortium of GE Betz and Laing O’Rourke Construction to build the plant. SunWater will build and operate a pipeline to transport treated water from the plant to the Chinchilla Weir.

The plant will treat water from the Walloon coal seams, which are not usually used by local communities. This will be used as a substitute for water from the shallower, distressed aquifers currently used for agriculture.

Initially, the plant will produce 72 megalitres of water a day and will eventually be increased to 100 megalitres a day. The plant is scheduled to be operational in October 2011.