As well as the Timor Sea imbroglio, big project announcements from Rio Tinto and Australian Magnesium Corporation could see the pipeline gain more valued customers. Rio Tinto is embarking on the first stage of its Comalco Alumina project and is also committed to a $1.5 billion expansion of an aluminium smelter near Gladstone. AMC has just completed fundraising for its $2 billion magnesium smelter near Gladstone.

ExxonMobil, the gas pipeline project operator, remains wary due to continuing uncertainty in PNG however will have been buoyed by the recent announcements, which have "given us greater clarity and certainty in assessing the potential size of Queensland gas market," ExxonMobil's PNG gas project director, Dr Doug Schwebel, said.

The next stage in the project is the finalisation of the PNG Gas Agreement, which would determine the PNG Government's final equity position in the gas reserves to be utilised in the project.

The main players in the pipeline include ExxonMobil, Oil Search, Orogen Minerals, ChevronTexaco as well as Santos, which has a minority stake in the project. The proposed pipeline will be 3200km long and bring gas from the Southern Highlands of PNG across Torres Strait and down to Gladstone.