Jemena believes that by allowing well-regulated exploration and unconventional gas development activities to proceed, the Territory is well placed to maximise the opportunities associated with an onshore gas industry.
As such, Jemena intends to progress its plans to extend and expand the $800 million NGP, which is expected to create around 4,000 jobs across northern Australia.
Early estimates place the cost of the project at around $3–4 billion.
Jemena’s Managing Director Paul Adams commended the Territory Government’s decision, noting it had commissioned a thorough review into unconventional gas development that included broad and frequent consultation with the community.
“This decision now gives us the certainty we need to move forward, and we encourage the Territory Government to maintain pace and move to swiftly implement the inquiry’s recommendations,” said Mr Adams.
“Provided sufficient and appropriate gas is proven and will be available for transportation, our ambition is to commence preliminary works on the extension and expansion of the Northern Gas Pipeline in 2019.”
The NGP will be completed in late 2018 and will initially transport around 90 TJ of gas.
With the extension and expansion of the NGP having the potential to bring around 700 TJ of gas – enough gas to meet the average daily domestic gas needs of Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide – to market.
NGP construction resumes in the Top End
After a break over the wet season, McConnell Dowell’s project team on the Northern Gas Pipeline project in the Northern Territory is back on the ground to continue construction on the pipeline between Tennant Creek and Mount Isa.
The stringing and bending operations have made good progress with 34.7 km of pipe strung out along the Right of Way (RoW) in the first week back.
Jemena, with contractors McConnell Dowell and Spiecapag Australia, began construction on the 622 km, 304.8 mm (12 inch) NGP in July this 2017.
McConnell Dowell is constructing the 481 km Northern Territory section of the pipeline, beginning in Tennant Creek, with Spiecapag constructing the 141 km Queensland section beginning in Mt Isa
