10,000 jobs have been promised to Gladstone as part of a proposed LNG plant at Curtis Island announced yesterday by Australia Pacific LNG.

The news was welcomed by Gladstone business leaders, who described the employment boost as “fantastic news” for the town and region.

Australia Pacific LNG - a joint venture between Origin and ConocoPhillips - and the Queensland government said yesterday the proposed $35 billion LNG plant would create more than 10,000 jobs.

The proposed project is planned for a 230-hectare site at Laird Point, Curtis Island with construction to begin after 2010. The plant was planned to become operational in 2014.

Origin advised they would aim to hire Gladstone residents as a priority, and the accessibility of a skilled workforce was important to the joint venture.

“People can apply already for positions and we'll definitely be advertising jobs locally closer to the time of the plant's construction,” the spokesman said.

Gladstone Economic and Industry Development Board chief executive Garry Scanlan said LNG groups were a key focus of development groups in Gladstone.

“They are so pro-active at the moment, this is great news for the region and another step in the right direction,” he said.

Gladstone Area Promotion and Development Limited regional development manager Sandra Prizeman said the idea of 10,000 jobs was “fantastic”.

“This will make the whole region more attractive to investors and benefit small business operators as well as big industry groups,” she said.

Australia Pacific LNG yesterday released the results of an independent analysis of the economic benefits of the project, undertaken by KPMG Econtech.

The audit predicted during the 10-year construction of the plant, an average of 10,300 jobs would be created, reaching a peak of 18,600 direct and indirect jobs nationally during the four peak years of construction, from 2012 to 2015.

Of the 18,600 jobs created on average during the four-year peak construction period, 13,200 jobs will be in the Queensland regions of Mackay-Fitzroy-Central west and Darling Downs-West.