NQBP Corp (North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation), the government owned construction firm, has announced plans of exploring the viability of building a new Dudgeon Point export terminal, granting rights to Adani Group, an Indian construction firm, to head the project.

The other construction firms considered for the project are the NQBP and Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal Management.

The port terminal at Abbot Point near Bowen has expansion operations underway, expanding the port to a capacity of up to 50 million tonnes, while capacity at Dalrymple Bay has been upped to 85 million tonnes, with further plans of expansion being examined.

NQBP said in a statement it will embark on a joint feasibility study with the Adani Group and Dalrymple Bay Coal to examine the viability of building another Dudgeon Point coal terminal, near the current port at Hay Point.

The land examination at Dudgeon point will push ahead with the Adani Group, India's biggest private port operator, and the DBCT Management.

Jeff Stewart-Harris, spokesman for NQBP, says that examinations regarding the possible dust levels from the two existing ports plus the new terminal have already been accomplished.

"It has clearly looked at the cumulative effects of the existing and proposed expanded coal terminals as well as Dudgeon Point and has concluded that all the World Health Organisation-type standards and can be well and truly met with that level of development in that area," the spokesman said.

Mr. Stewart-Harris adds that the market can still accommodate a new coal terminal.

"All of these projects that are in different stages of planning will be needed in the medium to longer term to support the coal exporting from Queensland," he added.

"We have had strong indications from all the coal mining interests and people that are involved in those logistics chains to say that in the medium to longer term will be needed."