The company wants to turn the usually flared methane from northern Bowen Basin coal mines into a supply to its TECH project thereby cutting the emissions from the mines but also potentially creating a new gas resource for north Queensland.

QPM now claims its nickel project could be CO2 negative by as much as a million tonnes and it has established a Carbon and Abatement Hub which it plans to be a multi-user waste gas collection and processing facility, about 40km north of Moranbah.

The hub would allow for the capture and beneficial use of the gas that was normally flared from coal mines in the region.

“QPM recognises that the northern Bowen Basin could be a major east coast supplier of gas, however significant baseload demand is required to underpin infrastructure development,” it said.

Its TECH project needs about 13 petajoules a year, a significant amount, and QPM said this could be the key to unlocking the basin’s gas resource.

“This is a win-win situation where greenhouse has emissions associated with metallurgical coal mining are significantly reduced and where QPM Energy (a subsidiary) secures gas supply,” it said in its latest market update.

It said there would be gas left over after its needs were met which could help north Queensland meet energy demands.

“New gas would provide an opportunity to provide peaking power supply and to firm up renewable energy supply,” it said.

The company also said its stage one of the TECH project would have net-negative emissions of 989,213 tonnes a year.

“There are few resource projects around the world that can boast zero carbon credentials, let alone negative emissions,” QPM said.

“The operation of the TECH project will significantly reduce GHG emissions while simultaneously producing critical battery metals to enable the electrification of the automobile industry.”