Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh have announced the commencement of the construction of the $16 billion Gladstone liquefied natural gas project.

 

 The project, which is set to be one of Australia’s largest energy projects, will be expected to generate $9 billion a year in exports and create more than 5,000 construction jobs and nearly 1,000 long term operational positions.

 

The project will also generate new training opportunities. Eighteen Masters degree scholarships will be offered at the University College London’s campus in Adelaide as part of the project.

 

These new scholarships, jointly sponsored by Santos, KOGAS and UCL, build on Santos’ existing $10 million contribution to establish UCL’s School of Energy and Resources.

 

The Gladstone LNG Project is subject to more than 300 Commonwealth environmental conditions, in addition to those imposed by the Queensland Government.

 

The first cargo from the Gladstone Liquefied natural gas project is scheduled to be exported from 2015.

This project will be joint venture between Australian company Santos, Malaysia’s PETRONAS, Total of France, and KOGAS of Korea (subject to regulatory approval).

 

Further information can be accessed from the project’s website here