As the Port of Gladstone grows, harbour access will need to expand to accommodate increased cargo throughput and a safe two-way passage for larger ships under all weather and tidal conditions. This involves future plans to duplicate the Gatcombe and Golding Cutting channels in the port’s outer harbour by deepening and widening the existing channels.
Due to the extensive lead time required for large, marine infrastructure programs, it is imperative to implement careful and thorough planning early, including environmental baseline data collection, impacts assessment, approval processes, project design and procurement.
Planning for the Port of Gladstone Gatcombe and Golding Cutting Channel Duplication Project (GGCCDP) began a decade ago, when GPC conducted extensive consultation to inform a detailed Environment Impact Statement (EIS). In 2020, GGCCDP received Commonwealth and Queensland Government EIS approvals.
GPC will progressively work through the channel duplication works based on industry demands.
Key Features
The project will include:
- duplicating the existing Gatcombe and Golding Cutting channels in the outer harbour of the Gladstone Port
- establishing locations for long-term placement of dredged material, including capital and maintenance activities in accordance with relevant legislation
- re-locating existing, and placement of new, navigational aids for the channel duplication.
Environmental Impact Statement
In 2012, the Queensland Office of the Coordinator-General declared the project to be a significant project for which an EIS was required. The final Terms of Reference (TOR), received in December 2012, set out the matters to be addressed in the EIS associated with the State approval. The final EIS Guidelines were released for public comment by the Commonwealth Government March 2013.
The EIS process required a detailed assessment of the project’s potential environmental, social and economic impacts, both direct and indirect. The draft GGCCDP EIS documents were made available for public feedback from 8 April to 23 May 2019.
In September 2019, the final EIS has been was lodged with: the Queensland Office of the Coordinator-General in accordance with the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971; and with the Commonwealth Government, in accordance with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
In July 2020, the Coordinator-General’s report on the final EIS (PDF 9.8 MB) was released.
Project fact sheets
More information
For enquiries or more information about the GGCCDP please email or phone our Corporate Relations team on 1800 243 GPC (472).