Origin Energy Limited and ConocoPhillips have formed a 50:50 joint venture, Australia Pacific LNG, that aims to develop abundant coal seam gas (CSG) reserves from Queensland, ship it via pipeline to a liquefaction facility, and export it to the Asia-Pacific and other international markets.

According to Origin, the JV plans to develop Australia's largest CSG reserves base into a 18 million-tonne-per-annum (mtpa) CSG to LNG project. Under the terms of the venture, Origin would be the upstream CSG operator and domestic gas marketer. ConocoPhillips would be the downstream LNG operator and oversee LNG marketing and shipping.

The target date for first LNG production is 2014. Should the project include four trains, Trains 3 and 4 could begin producing LNG as early as 2015. Over three decades, a four-train project would process 24 trillion cubic feet of CSG.