QLD Mining and Energy Bulletin
Issue link: http://ebook.aprs.com.au/i/31843
Hutchinson Builders Modular Housing Development T he inaugural Surat Basin Energy and Mining Expo is set to become the premier energy and mining showcase for south-west Queensland. The new event planned for Toowoomba, has received an overwhelming response from both sectors. The Expo was launched in September 2010 and has received unprecedented support from both major international and national companies that provide products or services to the energy and mining sectors of the Surat Basin. Event organiser Bob Carroll said the response has been phenomenal. With over 380 sites confirmed and both exhibition pavilions now full, organisers have had to introduce a giant 70 metre temporary exhibition hall plus additional outdoor sites to cater for the overwhelming demand for space. The south-west corner of Queensland is considered Australia’s future energy hub as it contains some of the most significant reserves of viable coal and coal seam gas resources in the world. Mining activity continues to increase as more major projects move from feasibility and planning through to construction and operations. “This will be the biggest Expo of any kind that the region has ever experienced, which shows that businesses recognise the unique opportunities that are being presented on the back of the Surat Basin exploration’” Carroll said. The Expo will provide a link between suppliers and the energy and mining industries throughout the Surat Basin resulting in enormous opportunity for local business. The event itself is expected to inject between five and seven million dollars into the local economy. Hutchinson Builders Modular Structure will feature as the entrance to the event 66 QLD Mining and Energy Bulletin Winter 2011 Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce Managing Director, Geoff McDonald, said levels of optimism in the Toowoomba region have never been so high with a population growth forecast of 50 per cent in the next 20 years. This will contribute to offering sustainable economic growth, while we will still be able to treasure the good things from the past. A point not lost on the local population, who enjoy Toowoomba because of the “laid back” lifestyle. However, most agree that steady growth is desirable. One of the biggest companies in the region is Easternwell, who is a progressive organisation at the centre of growth in the region. Easternwell, a home-grown company that is now recognised as probably the largest drilling maintenance company of its kind in Australia, is the Platinum Corporate Sponsor of the event and is keen to showcase its unique resource base to the industry. Easternwell has two key divisions: The Minerals Division which is centred mostly in Western Australia and the Energy Division which is based in Toowoomba. This division is set to enter a major and sustained growth phase, given the fact that key energy projects have received State Government approvals recently. Other corporate sponsors include Hutchinson Builders, Onsite Rental Group, Protector Alsafe, Coffey, Finlease, Onsite Gas Systems, Wild Desert, Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE and the University of Southern Queensland. The Toowoomba and Golden West Tourism Group in conjunction with Toowoomba Regional Council are pleased to announce a series of partner programs and activities, which will come online in the next month or so along with details of investment and relocation opportunities for skilled and unskilled workers, which the region will desperately need as the Surat Basin activity increases. Please contact (07) 4698 1988 for further information. Surat Basin housing shortage prompts developments The recent confirmation of massive new mining projects in the Surat Basin region has boosted demand for housing and seen a rush in the development of temporary and permanent housing estates to cater for the shortage of accommodation. EXPO PREVIEW SURAT BASIN ENERGY AND MINING