Gas consumption

Queensland consumed about 148 petajoules of gas in 2007, up from around 100 petajoules in 2004. There are more than 140,000 natural gas residential and small commercial users in Queensland (using less than one terajoule a year). Most of these customers are located in Brisbane, while the majority of industrial customers are in regional areas including Gladstone and Mt Isa.

Electricity generation and mineral processing accounts for over 80 percent of Queensland gas consumption with consumption by these users increasing by 70 percent during the past 10 years. Residential use of gas accounts for approximately 10 per cent of Queensland gas consumption.

Brisbane

South East Queensland, which includes Brisbane, has the largest number of residential and small commercial customers, but fewer large industrial customers than some of the regional markets. Gas fields, initially from around Wallumbilla and since the mid 1990's from Ballera, have supplied the Brisbane market.

Gladstone

The Gladstone market is largely an industrial load with a small number of large customers who use gas for smelting, calcining and the manufacture of fertiliser. Gas supplied to the Gladstone market is sourced from gas fields such as Fairview, Moura and Rolleston along the Queensland Gas Pipeline.

Mt Isa

The Mt Isa market also has a small number of large customers, most of whom are big mineral processors who use gas as part of their processes and for electricity generation. Gas supplied to the Mt Isa market is sourced from Ballera.