Abbot Point Port is home to the North Queensland Export Terminal (NQXT), the most northerly deepwater coal port of Australia, situated approximately north-west of the township of

Bowen Bowen may refer to: Places Australia * Bowen, Queensland, a town * Bowen Hills, Queensland, a suburb ** Bowen Hills railway station, a railway station in Bowen Hills ** Bowen Park, Brisbane, a park in Bowen Hills * Bowen Bridge, crossing the Derw ...

(

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 , established_ ...

). Established in 1984, it consists of a rail in-loading facility, coal handling and stockpile areas, and a single trestle

jetty A jetty is a structure that projects from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French word ', "thrown", signifying somet ...

and conveyor connected to a berth and

shiploader A shiploader is a large machine used for continuously loading bulk solid materials such as iron ore, coal, fertilizers, grains and/or material in bags onto ships or barges. These machines are located in ports and jetties to facilitate bulk mater ...

, located 2.75 km off-shore. Coal reaches the port via the

GAP railway line The Collinsville – Newlands – North Goonyella line, also known as the Goonyella – Abbot Point (GAP) line and the Newlands railway system, is a railway line in Queensland, Australia. It was opened in a series of sections between 1922 and 201 ...

from the Bowen Basin Coalfields. The Port of Abbot Point is of significant strategic value to North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation, as there are very few locations along Queensland's eastern seaboard where deep water (>15m) is so close in-shore. North Queensland Export Terminal has been operating for 35 years exporting coal, however the port's location is sometimes considered controversial given it is about 200 km from the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

, a

UNESCO world heritage site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Terminal 1

Adani Ports signed a 99-year lease on Abbot Point Terminal 1 in 2011. The deal cost Adani Group $1.83 billion. Abbot Point Operations been contracted by North Queensland Export Terminal to manage the operations at the port of Abbot Point.

Expansion

The port is planned to provide export facilities for coal mined from the Galilee Basin. The terminal has approvals to be expanded with the addition of a second

wharf A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring locatio ...

and

as well as an additional onshore stockyard and machines, however this was tabled due to the sizing down of the Carmichael Mine. The road and railway to the port have been targeted at times by non-violent direct action by environmentalists opposed to coal exports. An environmental assessment which included a review of 16 environmental studies, found the port's expansion would not have a significant impact on the

and that

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...

's claims regarding the expansion's impact were overstated. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Protection Authority (GBRMPA) advised minister Greg Hunt not to approve dredging for the Abbott Point coal port expansion. The

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cultu ...

was amended so that government does not have to consider expert advice before approving major developments such as mines and ports.

GVK-Hancock Coal

Federal approval for the port to be used by Hancock Coal to export coal from the

Alpha Coal Project The Alpha Coal Project is a coal mine and railway project in Queensland, Australia. The development is expected to cost A$6.9 billion. Coal exports would leave the country via port facilities at Abbot Point after being transported along a ...

was granted on 10 October 2012. Conditions for the go-ahead included a

seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the orde ...

offset scheme, a

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

management plan, funding for

Indigenous ranger The Indigenous ranger projects were introduced by the Australian Government in 2007 as part of its Working on Country program. Indigenous rangers are Indigenous Australians who combine traditional knowledge with conservation training in order to p ...

s, monitoring of air and water quality, amongst a total of 60 conditions aimed primarily to protect the Great Barrier Reef. For every of seagrass impacted by the port expansion, must be protected.

Bowen Orbital Spaceport

In May 2021, it was announced that private Australian rocket launch company Gilmour Space Technologies was given the go-ahead by the Queensland Government to build a rocket launch facility in Abbot Point. The rocket dedicated to launch from Bowen Orbital Spaceport is known as Eris and will launch in early 2023.

References

External links