BG Group has loaded up its first cargo from the QCLNG (Queensland Curtis Liquefied Natural Gas) project.
The company said the first vessel being loaded is from the Methane Rita Andrea.
A second cargo will be loaded onto the Methan Mickie Harper which is expected in Gladstone in the first week of January.
The QCLNG is the world’s first project to be supplied by coal seam gas and the project is the result of more than four years of development and construction on Curtis Island.
Andrew Gould, interim executive chairman, said: “This is an immense achievement which demonstrates the company’s ability to deliver a highly complex LNG project.
“The start-up of QCLNG is testament to the hard work, skill and dedication of all our employees, partners and customers including the thousands of individuals who have been involved in physically building the plant.
“The ongoing support from both the State Government of Queensland and the local councils of our upstream region and in Gladstone has also been pivotal in this development. We thank them all.”
The project will expand further with the start-up of the second train in the third quarter of 2015.
At plateau production, expected during 2016, QCLNG will have an output of around 8 million tonnes of LNG a year.