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“This represents a further step in the process of gaining development approval for the power station project,” said Origin Energy general manager public and government affairs Tony Wood.
“The next steps in gaining development approval for the power station include the preparation of an environmental impact study and ongoing community consultation, a process which is expected to take up to 18 months,” Wood said.
“If development approval is obtained and Origin decides to proceed at that time, construction would take approximately a further two years - in time to meet the currently forecast demand for extra electricity generation capacity.”
Bungil Shire mayor Robert Loughnan had already indicated the council would look upon the project favourably.
Earlier this month be told ABC News Radio that Origin had a good track record in the area.
"Origin has gone to a lot of lengths to try and make sure that this isn't going to affect many of the neighbours," he said.
"They've also gone to great lengths to be a good corporate citizen. They've actually paid Bungil Shire in the vicinity of $1.4 million to rebuild the access road."
The site is 80km north of Roma in the Durham Downs area of central Queensland.
Origin plans to build in two stages, a nominal 1000-megawatt gas-fired power station adjacent to a new gas processing plant currently under construction as part of the Spring Gully coal seam gas development, according to Origin Energy managing director Grant King.
“Origin’s recent discoveries in the Otway Basin and significant gas reserves in south-east Queensland provide an opportunity to develop least cost natural gas-fired power stations that minimise environmental impacts, diversify the generation fuel mix in the national electricity market and enhance system reliability and security,” King said.
In October, Origin announced it was seeking development approval for a similar power station project in western Victoria, where recent natural gas discoveries in the Otway Basin provide an opportunity to develop gas-fired power in the state.
