QLD Mining and Energy Bulletin
Issue link: http://ebook.aprs.com.au/i/31843
QUEENSLAND’S 2020 VISION: BY ANTHONY FENSOM Q 20 ueensland may have started 2011 being battered by floods and cyclones, but its resources sector appears stronger than ever. Buoyed by recent announcements of billion-dollar investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG), coal and other commodities, the Sunshine State has boosted its position as an expanding resources powerhouse. Yet with smaller mineral explorers and analysts warning of a growing regulatory and fiscal burden, the vision of both government and industry for the state to be the greenfield exploration capital by 2020 looks somewhat cloudier. QLD Mining and Energy Bulletin Winter 2011 Queensland Mining and Energy Bulletin spoke to a number of mining and energy companies and analysts to review the current state of the sector, what the challenges are and what the prospects might be for achieving the goals outlined just two years ago. The potential for Queensland’s resources sector is demonstrated by its abundant mineral reserves and growing oil, gas and renewable energy sources. According to the Queensland Resources Council (QRC), the state is the world’s largest seaborne coal exporter, hosts one of the world’s most highly-mineralised areas in the North West Minerals Province, and has emerged as a highly-productive energy province due to the development of coal seam gas (CSG) in the Bowen and Surat Basins. Rich in coal, copper, lead, silver, zinc, bauxite, phosphate rock, magnesite and silica sand, Queensland is seen highly prospective by minerals explorers. Turning this potential into an even greater industry is the current aim of both the QRC and the Queensland Government. Greenfield capital In its Discover Queensland: A 2020 Exploration Vision, the QRC called for “Queensland [to be] acknowledged as the minerals and energy exploration leader by 2020 and Brisbane confirmed as its ‘heart’…a vision we share with the Queensland Government, which declared at the 2009 Queensland election that its target was for Queensland to be ‘greenfield’ exploration capital by 2020.” EXPLORATION