CALLIDE, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

A small place making a big contribution

The Callide Power Station is located in the Callide Valley near the small town of Biloela in the Banana Shire of Central Queensland. The Callide site actually comprises 3 stations - Callide A, Callide B and Callide C. Collectively they produce about 1,700 megawatts of electricity, (enough to power about 2 million homes), and burn approximately 6 million tonnes of coal each year. Coal is sourced from the nearby Callide Coalfields, which produce over 9 million tonnes of black coal every year. It is the Callide A Power Station that is being transformed into one of the world's first clean coal demonstrations.

One of the main reasons for this is its proximity to a geological area where liquefied CO₂ can be transported and stored, in saline formations deep beneath the ground.

The Callide Power Station is in the Bowen Basin area of central Queensland. Approximately 750 km long and 250 km wide, this area contains coal reserves of around 21 billion tonnes.

In 2006/2007, the region exported over 153 million tonnes of coal to over 33 countries. Assuming no increase, these exports will be worth $38 billion in 2008/2009, and will generate $3.2 billion in royalties for the Queensland government.

Employing over 20,000 people, the coal industry is responsible for one in every four jobs in central Queensland.

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Biloela is a great place to live, grow, visit, invest and retire. The Callide Oxyfuel Project enhances what we, at Enterprise Biloela Association, promote.

Di Morris, President Enterprise Biloela Association Inc (EBAI).

BILOELA SNAPSHOT

Size	28,577 square kilometres
Population	5,500 approximately, 41% of the population of the Banana Shire 54.8% of the population are under 34 years old
Unemployment	4%
Main industries	Coal mining Beef production Power generation Cropping
New industries	Native Flowers and Foliage Aquaculture (Redclaw production) Herb and spice production Squab (meat pigeon) processing

Banana Shire gets its name from the days when cattle were valuable for hides and tallow. Herds were wild and difficult to handle, yards were few and small. Stockmen used working bullocks as decoys to lead the wild cattle to pens. One renowned decoy was a huge dun coloured bullock named 'Banana'.

After Banana's death his body was taken to a nearby gully that became known as 'Banana's Gully'. When a town developed in the vicinity it took the name of the gully and when the first Council sat there in 1880 the Shire was named after the town.