After putting the attendees at ease with a pipeline joke, Mr Carroll briefly discussed unconventional gas, which is Falcon Oil & Gas’ main focus. He referred to the development of unconventional gas in the United States, saying that it would not have been as successful without the support of existing pipeline infrastructure, and that the same support from the pipeline industry would assist the success of unconventional gas development in Australia.
He described some specific hurdles unconventional gas developers were facing – including the technical issue of fraccing, the various jurisdictions which have banned fraccing, and the challenge of gaining acceptance from the community – before moving to highlight some of the more general issues that the NT gas and pipeline industries are dealing with.
According to Mr Carroll, the remote location and climate of the NT will always be a challenge for major development. However, in recent times, a more salient issue has been sourcing employees, especially as the NT must compete against major projects occurring in other areas of Australia – as well as overseas – for skilled workers.
Mr Carroll said that one of the NT’s great advantages is that it is underdeveloped and ripe with untapped potential. He added that the NT has a record of successfully delivering major projects early and on budget – citing the ConocoPhillips LNG plant as an example – and that this has been partially due to the pro-development nature of NT politicians.
Mr Carroll emphasised, “It depends on how you look at a hurdle. I think there is no such thing as a threat; it’s always an opportunity.”
The dinner, sponsored by APA Group and Fyfe, left attendees to consider how they could transform their hurdles into opportunities.