GLNG Operations Pty Ltd on behalf of the GLNG Joint Venture Partners Santos, PETRONAS, Total and KOGAS, will provide $13.2 million towards social and affordable housing support for the Gladstone and Maranoa communities as part of its integrated housing strategy which has been signed-off by the Coordinator-General.
GLNG CEO Mark Macfarlane said the housing strategy outlined how the GLNG workforce would be accommodated while providing a significant $7.4 million and $5.8 million respectively to the Gladstone and Roma communities to address housing issues.
“ We recognise the pressures currently being experienced in the two regions and have worked closely with the local councils to look at the best ways in which we can help alleviate these ,” Mr Macfarlane said.
“ We are partnering with the Urban Land Development Authority and the regional councils to manage the development of new community and affordable housing and have dedicated $6.5 million to Gladstone and $5 million to Roma .
“ A not-for-profit housing company will be established to manage the development of this housing in Gladstone while the Maranoa Regional Council will manage the Roma housing .”
GLNG workers settling in Gladstone will be housed in new dwellings with work already started to immediately build 45 new houses.
“ We have committed to building up-to 90 houses in the Gladstone area but have immediately started work on building half of these ,” Mr Macfarlane said.
“ We have purchased land in the Kirkwood Road vicinity to house our workers and will look at securing further housing towards the end of the year once we work through the number and types of dwellings required ,” Mr Macfarlane said.
Earlier this year GLNG provided $800,000 to the Gladstone Regional Council and $500,000 to the Maranoa Regional Council for their supported accommodation programs.
“ We are pleased to see that these funds are already helping local people who are experiencing difficulty accessing rental housing ,” Mr Macfarlane said.
A further $200,000 has been dedicated to extend funding of additional community housing officers for a further 12 month period in Gladstone and Roma while an additional $200,000 will be provided to the Maranoa Regional Council to assist in identifying and preparing new areas for housing growth.
Mr Macfarlane said construction workers for the project would be housed in purpose built accommodation facilities to ensure minimal impact to local communities.
“ Construction workers for the liquefied natural gas plant will be housed in a temporary accommodation facility on Curtis Island which will house up to 2,200 workers ,” Mr Macfarlane said.
“ The facility is due to be built by early 2012 in-line with ramp-up of construction works on the island .
“ In the gasfields and along the pipeline, worker accommodation facilities will be built to house GLNG’s construction and operations workforce.
“ In the gasfields, these will consist of both permanent and temporary facilities, most of which will be located on GLNG owned land .”
The $16 billion GLNG project involves the exploration and production of coal seam gas in the Surat and Bowen Basins, construction of a 420-km gas transmission pipeline from the gasfields to Gladstone and a gas liquefaction and export facility on Curtis Island. First cargoes are expected in 2015.
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Source: GLNG, August 9, 2011;