Australian water and process technology company Parkway Corporate (ASX: PWN, FSE: 4IP) has taken a decisive step towards realizing its planned QBS Brine Management Complex (QBMC). Through its subsidiary Queensland Brine Solutions (QBS), the company has secured a long-term option to lease a 10-hectare site in the center of the CSG (coal seam gas) industry in Central Queensland. The site will be home to one of the most advanced facilities for the sustainable processing and utilization of problematic residual brine from the CSG industry. According to current plans, implementation of the project could begin as early as mid-2026, subject to all regulatory and financial requirements being met. Further details are to be presented at the Annual General Meeting in late November.
Strategic Location for the CSG Industry
The site earmarked for the QBMC is located in the heart of the CSG industry’s most important production regions and benefits from a well-developed infrastructure. High-voltage power lines, a regional substation and a planned renewable energy center are located in the immediate vicinity. The Kogan Condamine Road provides optimal connections to the area, while the proximity to the Kenya-Chinchilla pipeline and agricultural land enables the use of the treated water for irrigation purposes or regional water supply.
Since the publication of the “QBS Master Plan” in June 2023, Parkway had examined more than 30 possible locations. Following a comprehensive technical and economic evaluation, the company has now decided on the property in the Western Downs District. The location is intended to ensure efficient, safe and environmentally compatible implementation of the project.
Permanent Solution for a Growing Environmental Problem
With the strong expansion of CSG production since 2010 and the start of LNG exports in 2015, Queensland has become a hub of the Australian gas industry. At the same time, however, the problem of waste brines – highly concentrated salt solutions produced during gas extraction – has grown. Over the lifetime of existing projects, it is estimated that around six million tons of waste salts will be produced. Much of this material is currently stored in open brine storage ponds, which pose significant environmental risks and is increasingly coming under criticism.
The planned QBS Brine Management Complex (QBMC) aims to solve precisely this problem. Using proprietary technologies developed by Parkway over many years, the saline wastewater will be treated and converted into valuable green chemicals. In this way, QBS aims to create an economically viable and environmentally sustainable alternative to current disposal practices.
Capacity to Treat Half of the CSG Waste Water in Queensland
The QBMC is to be built in several development phases and will include both the treatment of brines (upstream processing) and their electrochemical further processing (downstream processing). Parkway plans to treat around half of all CSG wastewater in Queensland with the complex. In the long term, expansion would also be possible to process additional wastewater from other regions, such as the emerging Taroom Trough Basin, where Shell is understood to be investing hundreds of millions of dollars to prove up additional gas reserves from deeper reservoirs.
The collaboration with energy developer Crossroads Energy, which is building a large solar and battery storage project in the region, will further support the expansion of the QBMC. The corresponding lease agreement has an initial term of 20 years, which can be extended to up to 50 years. In addition, part of the energy required is to come directly from the neighboring renewable energy center.
At the same time, QBS is working on strategic partnerships with gas producers, chemical companies, and waste management operators to ensure the integration of QBMC into existing value chains. Discussions on long-term purchase and cooperation agreements are understood to be well underway.
Approval Phase and First Mover Advantage for Parkway
Following the successful site selection, QBS is now focusing on the approval process. An experienced planning team is currently preparing the necessary environmental and development documentation. According to Parkway, initial feedback from the authorities has been positive. Once approved, the QBMC would be Australia’s only specialized residual brine processing facility, providing a permanent disposal solution for the CSG industry.
In addition, a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) is being worked on with Crossroads Energy to secure cost-effective, renewable energy for the plant’s energy-intensive operations. Parkway sees this as a crucial step toward operating the QBMC in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner.
Milestone for Sustainable Waste Water Management in Queensland
By securing the project site, Parkway Corporate is moving closer to its goal of playing a key role in the sustainable transformation of the Australian coal seam gas industry. The planned Queensland Brine Management Complex could become a central component of the circular economy in the raw materials sector – through the combination of waste reduction, resource extraction and the use of renewable energies.
Parkway CEO Bahay Ozcakmak emphasized the importance of the project: “With the secured location, we have come a big step closer to our goal of creating a strategic infrastructure that supports the long-term sustainability of the CSG industry.”
Should the project be implemented as planned, the QBMC could become a model project for the combination of environmental protection and industrial innovation – not only in Queensland, but also beyond.
By securing the project site, Parkway is moving closer to its goal of playing a key role in the sustainable transformation of the Australian coal seam gas industry. The planned Queensland Brine Management Complex could become a central component of the circular economy in the raw materials sector by combining waste reduction, resource recovery, and the use of renewable energy.
Parkway CEO Bahay Ozcakmak emphasized the importance of the project: “With the site secured, we are a big step closer to our goal of creating strategic infrastructure that supports the long-term sustainability of the CSG industry.”
If the project is implemented as planned, the QBMC could become a model project for combining environmental protection and industrial innovation – not only in Queensland, but also beyond.
Conclusion: Today’s announcement of its location choice marks a turning point for Parkway Corporate and for the CSG industry in Queensland that may still be remembered in 50 years’ time. It is the first concrete step in the realization of its ambitious “QBC Master Plan,” which the company has been pursuing behind the scenes since 2023. Now the next steps can follow. The company plans to announce more details leading up to and at its annual general meeting in six weeks. The goal is to provide the $100 billion CSG industry in Queensland with a state-of-the-art Best Available Technology (BAT) that permanently solves the complex brine management problems of the CSG industry. By combining upstream and downstream processing at the now selected location, Parkway plans to transform problem waste into valuable chemicals and realize a true circular economy. Parkway/QBS’s future unique position at the center of the huge CSG industry opens up enormous economic opportunities for the company. It can be assumed that Parkway management has made intensive use of the long wait for the site selection to optimize planning and further advance partner and approval negotiations. This is the only way to understand the confident statement that the project could possibly begin to be implemented as early as mid-2026. We look forward to the upcoming updates. Finally, notwithstanding Parkway‘s recent announcement of its transition to profitability, Parkway expects to be able to rely on strategic partners to fund a large proportion of the capital costs for the QBMC, in return for the sell down of minority equity stakes in either QBMC or QBS. It is clear a well crafted strategy is starting to fall in place in front of our eyes.
