Queensland Approves Oil Shale Policy

Queensland's Natural Resources and Mines Minister, Andrew Cripps, said the new oil shale policy sets rigorous environmental controls on the industry and will allow existing oil shale operator QER Limited to progress its trial plant at Gladstone to commercial stage.

“Queensland currently has around 90 per cent of Australia’s known oil shale resources, which are equivalent to approximately 22 billion barrels of oil,” Cripps said.

The new oil shale policy would recognise the strategic importance of oil shale to contribute to energy security, and encourage private sector investment in high quality oil shale extracting technologies. The policy also says that proponents must first demonstrate their oil shale technology will meet high environmental standards and community expectations.

Also, the policy aims to allow, in general, the consideration and development of other oil shale deposits in Queensland, pending thorough environmental assessment on a project by project basis and continue the existing 20-year moratorium suspending development of the McFarlane oil shale deposit near Proserpine until 2028.

Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection, Andrew Powell, emphasised that strict environmental controls would apply to any proposal to mine and process oil shale.