Backed by dinner sponsors Denso and Mears, the dinner guests were treated to a presentation from Chief Executive Officer of ElectraNet Ian Stirling, a prominent figure in the South Australian (SA) energy market.
Despite representing the electricity energy market, a fact not lost on Mr Stirling in a room full of pipeliners, his presentation focussed on many common interests between the two sectors.
Mr Stirling began by outlining the fantastic opportunities for all energy sectors in SA, including mining and electricity, but spoke of the potential of gas in going forward.
Using figures to outline his case Mr Stirling showed that out of the 14 basins in SA with the potential to produce, only three were doing so.
While conceding that one of these, the Cooper Basin, is Australia’s largest and most mature onshore asset with the potential to fuel Australia for decades, he outlined that there is still much work that can be done.
In what will please the gas industry in particular, Mr Stirling stated that gas reservation policies, in their current form and particularly in today’s expanding and developing market, do not make sense.
However, he did conclude that it is up to producers to convince the government, who in turn must convince voters that this is the direction that SA must continue to move in.
The event turned out to be a fantastic opportunity to network across the industry, and with over 130 guests in attendance it proved to be one of the biggest events held in Adelaide for a number of years.