Queensland Energy Resources Limited (QERL) is an Australian
oil shale
Oil shale is an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock containing kerogen (a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds) from which liquid hydrocarbons can be produced. In addition to kerogen, general composition of oil shales constitut ...
mining and
shale oil extraction
Shale oil extraction is an industrial process for unconventional oil production. This process converts kerogen in oil shale into shale oil by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. The resultant shale oil is used as fuel oil or up ...
company with the headquarters in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
. It is the developer of the
Stuart (Yarwun) and McFarlane oil shale projects.
History
Queensland Energy Resources Limited was formed in February 2004, when it acquired the assets of the
Stuart Oil Shale Project from receivers of the project's former developer, Southern Pacific Petroleum N.L.
[
][ On 21 July 2004, QER announced that the plant would be shut down for economic and environmental reasons.][
] From 2005 to 2007, oil shale from its deposits were tested in a pilot plant facility in Rifle, Colorado
Rifle is a home rule municipality in and the most populous community of Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The population was 10,437 at the 2020 census. Rifle is a regional center of the cattle ranching industry located along Interstate ...
owned by Shale Technologies. On 14 August 2008, Queensland Energy Resources announced that it had shunned the Alberta Taciuk Processor (ATP) oil shale processing technology in favor of the Paraho II technology and that the ATP technology-based plant was being dismantled, and obsolete components were being sold.[
] On 24 August 2008, the Queensland Government announced an oil-shale mining moratorium over the company-owned McFarlane deposit for 20 years.[
]
On 10 May 2010, the company announced a plan for construction of a small-scale shale-oil demonstration plant at Yarwun
Yarwun is a rural coastal town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Yarwun had a population of 119 people.
Geography
The North Coast railway line, Queensland, N ...
(the site of the Stuart Oil Shale Project).[
][
] The new plant produced its first oil on 6 October 2011, and began producing high quality ultra-low sulphur diesel and aviation fuel in September 2012.
In February 2013, following a four-year industry review including a full environmental audit of QER's operations, the Queensland Government announced that it would allow the development of a commercial oil shale industry in Queensland under strict environmental conditions.
The Government's oil shale policy sets vigorous environmental controls on the industry and allows existing oil shale operator, QER Ltd, to progress the demonstration plant at Gladstone to commercial stage.
QER has now successfully completed the demonstration plant program, and is seeking investment in the next stage of its industry development, a commercial facility producing around 8,000 barrels per day of finished fuels.
[
]
Operations
Queensland Energy Resources holds mining tenement rights to several oil shale deposits in Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
, Australia. Two major resources are Stuart, located at Yarwun, Queensland, and McFarlane, located near Proserpine. The McFarlane oil shale resource, one of Australia's largest, remains under a 20-year mining moratorium.[ QER operates a visitor's center at the Yarwun site and has completed a successful technology demonstration plant project based on the Paraho II Technology.
]
See also
*Energy in Queensland
Queensland's energy policy is based on the year 2000 document called the ''Queensland Energy Policy: A Cleaner Energy Strategy''. The Queensland Government assists energy development through the Department of Energy and Water Supply. The stat ...
*Oil shale in Australia
There are oil shale deposits in Australia which range from small deposits to large reserves. Deposits, varying by their age and origin, are located in about a third of eastern Australia. In 2012, the demonstrated oil shale reserves were estimated ...
References
External links
Company website
Damaging fossil fuel projects rejected in QLD
{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2020
Oil companies of Australia
Oil shale companies
Companies based in Brisbane
Energy in Queensland
Energy companies established in 2004
Australian companies established in 2004