该集团已就昆士兰州和新南威尔士州之间的一条天然气管道做出最终投资决定，这有助于缓解澳大利亚人口稠密的东南部预计将出现的短缺。
Group reached a final investment decision on a natural gas pipeline between Queensland and New South Wales states, which could help alleviate projected shortfalls in the more heavily populated southeast of Australia.
公司周四在向澳大利亚证券交易所提交的文件中表示，Bulloo Interlink管道的建设将于明年初开始，目标是2029年冬季投入商业运营。该决定得到了与零售商Origin Energy Ltd.签署的一份为期五年的运输和储存协议的支持。
Construction on the Bulloo Interlink Pipeline will start early next year, with commercial operations targeted for winter 2029, the company said in a filing to the Australian Stock Exchange on Thursday. The decision was supported by a five-year transport and storage agreement with retailer Origin Energy Ltd., it said.
虽然澳大利亚是世界上最大的液化天然气出口国之一，但工厂和相关气田位于这个幅员辽阔国家的北部。澳大利亚能源市场运营商表示，到2029年，南部市场可能面临峰值需求短缺，随着东海岸气田衰退，从2030年起将需要额外供应。
While Australia is one of the world’s biggest exporters of liquefied natural gas, the plants and associated fields are located in the northern half of the vast nation. The Australian Energy Market Operator has said southern markets could face peak-demand shortfalls by 2029 and require additional supply from 2030 as east coast gas fields decline.
首席执行官Adam Watson在声明中表示：“BIL的交付对东海岸能源安全至关重要，将释放昆士兰州和北领地可用的大量天然气。”“BIL的设计旨在确保管道产能不会成为满足澳大利亚南部各州本十年末及2030年代初预计天然气需求的制约因素。”这条长340公里（211英里）的管道日输送能力将达800太焦耳，使其成为该国东部最大的天然气管道之一，且不与液化天然气工厂相连。APA已承诺向该项目投资9.2亿澳元（6.46亿美元）。
“Delivery of the BIL is critical to east coast energy security, unlocking the significant volumes of gas available in Queensland and the Northern Territory,” Chief Executive Officer Adam Watson said in the statement. “The BIL is designed to ensure pipeline capacity is not a constraint to meet projected gas demand for Australia’s southern states later this decade and into the early 2030s.”The 340 kilometer (211 mile) link will have a capacity of 800 terajoules a day, making it one of the biggest gas pipelines in the east of the country that isn’t linked to an LNG plant. APA has committed A$920 million ($646 million) to the project.