Southern Company, through its Consolidated Electric Power Asia (CEPA) subsidiary, has filed a proposal to build a coal-fired power plant to meet growing electricity demand in the Australian state of Queensland.

CEPA would build the plant next to the Kogan Creek coal deposit — owned by CEPA subsidiary Allied Queensland Coalfields Pty Ltd. — in the Surat basin, about 280 kilometers (174 miles) southwest of Brisbane.

“This project would have several advantages for customers, one of the biggest being that the plant will rely on a local natural resource,” said Ray Hill, managing director and CEO of CEPA.

The proposal, contained in an Initial Advice Statement to the Queensland government, is an early step in the process of developing the project. The size of the plant would be between 600 and 850 megawatts. Total cost for the project is estimated at $600 million (A$1 billion).

“We’re announcing this project in the early stages so we can ensure the community is fully informed about what we’re planning,” Hill said. “This project has the potential to bring industry diversification to an area that is largely agricultural, meaning new development and new jobs.”

At its peak, construction of the plant would require 1,000 people. Construction would take about three years once approved.

CEPA is the largest independent power producer in Asia, with a capacity of about 3,300 megawatts and another 1,200 megawatts under construction. Southern Company subsidiary Southern Energy Inc. acquired CEPA in 1997.

Southern Energy develops, builds, owns and operates power production and delivery facilities and provides a broad range of services to utilities and industrial companies around the world. Southern Energy supplies electricity in 10 countries on four continents. Its Southern Company Energy Marketing subsidiary, jointly owned with Vastar Resources Inc., provides energy trading, marketing and financial services and other energy-related commodities, products and services to customers in North America.

Southern Company (NYSE: SO), the largest producer of electricity in the United States, is also the parent firm of Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power and Savannah Electric.