Australia: Arrow Energy Issues Tender for Tunnel to Curtis Island

Arrow Energy, one of Australia’s leading coal seam gas (CSG) companies, has taken another step closer today to realising its multi-billion dollar project to convert CSG to liquefied natural gas (LNG) at Gladstone in central Queensland.

Arrow’s Vice-President for LNG Hilary Mercer said that a tender had been issued for the preliminary design of a six kilometre long tunnel to transport gas and other utilities from the Gladstone mainland, to the liquefaction facility on Curtis Island. The tunnel is part of the Arrow LNG project.

Ms Mercer said four Australian (two Queensland based) firms had been invited to tender for the project: Mott MacDonald; Arup; Halcrow; and Parsons Brinckerhoff.

“The design scope of work is for a tunnel to accommodate:

– A high pressure gas pipeline for feed gas supply;

– High voltage electrical circuits for mains electricity supply; and

– Fibre optic cable for telecommunication

“The tunnel to Curtis Island would be one of the longest offshore tunnels in Queensland,” Ms Mercer said.

“The proposed location is between a mainland site in the Yarwun area and Hamilton Point on the eastern end of Curtis Island close to the Arrow LNG site.

“The tunnel is planned to be excavated through rock under the harbour below sea level.”

Ms Mercer said a tunnel was Arrow’s preferred method of crossing Gladstone Harbour because of potentially reduced impacts on the environment; and that it is a proven method of constructing undersea infrastructure.

She said construction of the tunnel could be expected to take approximately three years.

The tender follows the recent multi-million dollar Front End Engineering Design (FEED) contract awarded by Arrow last month (August 16), one of the key Arrow LNG project milestones to date.

Arrow also recently awarded the Concept Select contract for design of its upstream (field) development in the Surat Basin.

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Source: Arrow Energy, September 21, 2011;