On 28 February, Shell announced two major investments in bitumen facilities, totalling $27 million, to assist Shell in supplying additional bitumen for road reconstruction efforts in south east Queensland and north west Victoria following the recent floods. This increased demand for bitumen is expected to last for several years.
This investment will create numerous construction jobs in Brisbane and Geelong, and increased supply will help service civil construction customers for years to come.
A new $20 million bitumen facility will be constructed at Shell’s Geelong Refinery and upgrades to existing facilities at the company’s Pinkenba site on the Brisbane River will also take place.
The investment in Geelong will include four new hot bitumen tanks and a new road gantry for loading trucks, while the $7 million upgrade to the Pinkenba facility will see the plant’s capacity doubled.
“We view bitumen as a key growth area for Shell’s Australian business and these facilities will improve supply to civil contractor customers for many years to come,” said Shell’s marketing general manager, Craig James.
“In a country as large as Australia there is a high demand for the bitumen used to construct roads, but we are expecting a spike in local demand caused by flood damage that will last for some years.”
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