Marstel general manager Tim Gunning said the Bundaberg tanks were bought at the same time as similar storage facilities at Port Alma, near Gladstone.
“We have nearly finished work at Port Alma, and expect to have those tanks up and running in six to eight weeks,” Mr Gunning said.
“After that, we will be looking at Bundaberg.”
While the tanks at Port of Bundaberg were in relatively good condition, there was no infrastructure in place to support the facility, Mr Gunning said.
“There are no pipes or pumps connected, so we have to put it all back in,” he said.
The company expected to spend between $5 million and $10 million getting the facility operational.
“The work will mostly be in piping and electrical, and will create about 20 jobs. We’re looking at starting work on it early in the new year,” he said.
Up to six full-time jobs will be created when the terminal is fully operational.
When the disused facility was bought last year, Mr Gunning said having fuel brought into the port could lower prices, and would also mean fewer trucks would be on the roads.
The terminal will provide storage and handling capability for unleaded petrol, diesel and biofuels, with pipelines to the nearby bulk liquids berths that will be used to transfer incoming bulk fuels from ship to shore tanks.