Gas pipeline creates jobs

The 622km gas pipeline project – the largest of its kind in the country – also saw local businesses and organisations across the Territory and Queensland awarded 205 contracts – worth over $22 million in the Territory alone – in 2017.

The $800 million pipeline will link Tennant Creek to Mount Isa.

The first gas from the project is scheduled to flow this year.

Northern Gas Pipeline Project director, Jonathan Spink, said the NGP’s strong jobs figures were a testament to the community’s ability, interest, and desire to be part of this nation-building project.

“We’re thrilled to be able to provide jobs and training opportunities to local people who benefit not only from working on a major project, but from the new skills and qualifications that they have acquired. These new skills also benefit the broader community as they can be applied to other roles across the energy, utility, and related industries,” said Mr Spink.

“Pleasingly over half of the jobs created by the NGP project have been in the Barkly and Mount Isa regions. Further, over 230 positions have been secured by people from Aboriginal communities in these areas.”

Mr Spink said jobs awarded in 2017 spanned the NGP’s planning and construction phases with employees engaged to operate machinery, conduct environmental and cultural assessments, act as labourers, and complete pipelining works.

In 2017 Jemena constructed 403km of pipeline – 262km in the Northern Territory and 141km in Queensland. Jemena also developed and delivered its Project Ready Training Program as well as the Tennant Creek Social Employment Project.

These programs provided training and development opportunities for members of the communities surrounding the pipeline route. In 2017, over 60 people successfully completed these programs with more than half going on to secure employment on the NGP or in related fields.

Mr Spink said Jemena has been warmly welcomed into the Tennant Creek and Mount Isa communities, and that Jemena has been thrilled to contribute to a number of community organisations as part of its Northern Gas Pipeline Sponsorship Program.

“In 2017 we provided support to eight organisations in the Barkly and Mount Isa regions including the Stars Foundation – where we provided interview preparation training and mentoring to young Aboriginal women; Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation; the Barkly State Emergency Service; the Northern Outback Business Awards; and, the Bushfires NT Volunteer Fire Brigade in Tennant Creek,” Mr Spink said. 

“Jemena has a long history of partnering with local organisations from the not-for-profit and community sector in the areas where it operates. We are pleased to be able to bring this support to the Territory and Queensland in 2017 as part of the Northern Gas Pipeline Sponsorship Program and look forward to this support continuing as we complete construction of the NGP and commission the pipeline.”

The construction of the NGP will continue in 2018 with first gas expected to flow late this year.

Jemena continues to investigate options to expand and extend the NGP, having most recently signed a binding agreement with Galilee Energy to work together towards agreed development milestones which will fast-track plans to deliver a large new source of gas from Galilee Energy’s Glenaras Gas Project in the Galilee Basin in central Queensland to the east-coast domestic gas market.