AFTER years of frustration for the industry from infrastructure bottlenecks, exacerbated by recent heavy rains, coal companies are beginning to position themselves for the next export and mine development boom.

Mines and Energy Minister Geoff Wilson told Parliament last week there were 28 advanced coal projects in Central Queensland alone.

“Seventeen are new mines”, the minister said, “and 11 are expansions of existing mines.

“Over the next five years, potential capital investment in coalmine projects in central Queensland is estimated at $11.5 billion, with a further $9 billion on coal transport infrastructure.

“That is a total of more than $20 billion”, Mr Wilson said.

Mr Wilson’s time scale might blow out.

There’s a considerable way to go with planned rail and port upgrades – and the so-called southern missing link between Queensland’s Surat Basin and Gladstone is still moving through the early feasibility study stages.

And skills shortages and cost blow-outs remain major dangers. But companies big and small are putting their names down for a share of the proposed new port and rail capacity.

The Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal recently expanded to 65 million tonnes nominal annual capacity and is pressing on to to 85 million tonnes by the end of this year.

It will take a significant time before it ships at that latter rate, however – if ever – as rail capacity catches up and given the difficulties of co-ordinating the many players in the Goonyella coal chain, which services the port. But coal chain co-ordinator Ross Dunning told the Brisbane Mining Club last week he was “very confident” the port, which at the end of 2007 was shipping at a rate of only about 40 million tonnes a year, could be at a rate of 65 million tonnes by year’s end and could ship 70 million tonnes in 2007.

Near Bowen, the Government has committed $163 million to expanding the Abbot Point Coal Terminal.

And once the $920 million “northern missing link” connecting the Goonyella coal chain to Abbot Point is in place Abbot Point is due to be expanded to 50 million tonnes a year.

Meanwhile, in Gladstone, where an upgrade of the RG Tanna coal terminal has recently been completed, planning for the new Wiggins Island terminal is advanced.

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