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Queensland mining update
Queensland's significant mineral mines, advanced mineral projects and new intersections
Queensland is widely recognised for its world-class endowment of base metals. It is the world's second largest producer of lead (10.4% of global production), the third largest zinc producer (6.9%), the fifth largest silver producer (7.60%), and accounts for 1.30 per cent of global copper production.
Queensland leads Australia in copper, lead, silver and zinc production, as well as being Australia's second-largest bauxite producer and the third-largest gold producer. It is expected to become an important producer of molybdenum and rhenium in the future. After coal, the base metals sector is the most important sector of the state's mining industry. Most of the base metal production is from the North West Queensland Mineral Province, which is one of the world's leading base metal provinces.
Queensland's coal - Mines and advanced projects - industry update
Queensland has a rich endowment of high-quality coal resources, with more than 32 billion tonnes (raw coal in-situ) having been identified by drilling operations.
The state has identified resources of coking coal that amount to approximately 11 billion tonnes, of which about 4 billion tonnes is suitable for open-cut mining.
Queensland's coal seam gas overview - industry update
Queensland's coal seam gas (CSG) industry has grown rapidly over the past 15 years - the annual number of wells drilled increasing from 10 in the early 1990s to almost 600 in 2010-11.
The CSG industry has defied the recent global economic downturn with both exploration and development activity remaining strong. It continues to be at the forefront of Queensland´s petroleum industry.
The Queensland Government is supporting the growth of the petroleum industry by making available geoscientific information and company exploration data, and coordinating approvals for major petroleum projects.
As at 30 June 2011, proved and probable (2P) reserves reached 33 001 petajoules (PJ). In 2010-11, production increased to 234 PJ from 212 PJ in 2009-10. Production from these sources is expected to supply an increasing proportion of the Queensland and other eastern Australian markets.
Queensland's unconventional petroleum potential
Queensland has a series of stacked sedimentary basins ranging in age from Mesoproterozoic to Quaternary. Many of these basins are likely to be prospective for unconventional petroleum.
Exploration for conventional petroleum began in earnest in 1960 and targeted most basins across Queensland. Exploration success resulted in activity becoming focused on the Bowen, Surat, Cooper and Eromanga basins. These basins became the key petroleum-producing regions of the state and are serviced by processing facilities and major transmission pipelines. Recently, significant coal seam gas (CSG) reserves have been discovered in the Bowen and Surat basins. CSG is now providing most of the state's gas requirements.
Exploration for other forms of unconventional petroleum, such as shale gas and tight gas, is only just beginning in Queensland.
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Last updated 15 Febuary 2012