Following the Gas to Export

Australia exports most of it's natural gas.
I wanted to follow the path that the gas goes to export.

So followed the Jemena pipeline from Wallumbilla to Gladstone.

627 km.

This gas hub at Wallumbilla collects gas from fields in the Surat Basin
and prepares it for the pipeline that heads out to the horizon.

This a gas field east of Injune that feeds into the pipeline.

Here the pipeline crosses the Carnarvon Range.
Easy to follow.

I reckon that this is a compressor station that helps push the gas along.

Crossing the Expedition Range.
Quite a pipelining challenge.

When crossing cultivated land the pipeline shows very little sign.
It was an interesting challenge at times to follow the pipeline.
Sort of like tracking an animal, 
watching for small clues.
Good fun.....

Other times the tracks are very visible,
but still a lot less disturbance than a railway.....

Finally feeding these three LNG plants at Gladstone
 that pressurize and refrigerate the gas for shipment overseas.
LNG = Liquefied Natural Gas

Loading a ship with LNG for somewhere overseas,
probably Japan or China.

Gladstone is Queensland's industrial export port.
Several big projects here.

https://www.cccqld.org.au/gladstone.html

RG Tanna Coal Export facility.

Wiggins Island Coal Export facility.

Rio Tinto Alcan alumina plant.

Orica chemical plant in background.

Waste holding pond from the Rio Tinto plant.

Queensland Alumina plant, one of the largest such plants in the world.

Ships will be offloading bauxite from Weipa up on Cape York,

and loading alumina for export.

Boyne Island aluminium smelter.

They load grain and fuel here.

Gladstone power plant in background (1680 mW) largest in Queensland.

Supplying the power for all this industry.

They use fabric particle filters, 

so the exhaust looks pretty clean, 

despite the enormous power.

Ships waiting offshore for their turn to load exports from Australia.

John Gilpin
July 2019