Industry

Australia’s oil and gas industry has paid tribute to Dr Anthony Lynham following his decision to retire from politics at the upcoming Queensland election.

APPEA Chief Executive Andrew McConville applauded Dr Lynham for his outstanding leadership, distinguished parliamentary career and commitment to growing the resources sector.

“The industry applauds Dr Lynham’s achievements in helping to grow the oil and gas sector to create jobs and investment and for always being available to engage with the industry,” Mr McConville said.

“Dr Lynham has been a driving force in opening up regional Queensland for natural gas exploration to supply...

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A total of 18 planned and announced Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) projects are expected to be deployed offshore Brazil during the outlook period 2020–2025, the highest among the countries globally, according to GlobalData.

The company’s report: ‘Global FPSO Industry Outlook, 2020−2025 – Petrobras Drives Global Upcoming FPSO Deployments’ reveals that Brazil also leads the crude production capacity globally through upcoming FPSOs with more than 2,000 thousand barrels per day (mbd) during the outlook period.

Among the 18 upcoming FPSO’s to be deployed in Brazil by 2025, eight are planned with identified development plans while nine are early-stage announced FPSOs that are undergoing conceptual studies and may be approved for development.

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Blue Energy has commended the announcement from Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, that the Queensland Government will invest $5 million in a concept study to investigate the feasibility and options for a new transmission pipeline south, to connect the Bowen Basin’s gas reserves to the east coast of Queensland.

The commitment was contained in the “Queensland’s Economic Recovery Plan”, released by the Premier.

Blue said it had regularly commented on the enormous gas resource that has already been discovered in the North Bowen Basin.

"This Basin has been producing gas north to Townsville manufacturers and electricity generators via the 273mm diameter North Queensland Gas Pipeline, since 2005," the company said.

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EnergyQuest says cargo shipped from the Shell-operated QCLNG project at Gladstone in Queensland and transported aboard the Sevilla Knutsen represented a milestone, first LNG export from Australia to Chile.

The tanker docked at Quintero, Chile on 15 August after a 24-day voyage of more than 13,500 nautical miles. QCLNG cargoes generally go to China and Japan.

Quintero mostly imports LNG cargoes from the Atlantic Basin.

EnergyQuest said that in 2019, it imported cargoes from the US, Trinidad Tobago and Equatorial Guinea, “so a cargo from Australia is unusual and shows the degree of over-supply in Asia”.

Historically, Chile imported its gas from Argentina but decided to build an LNG import terminal after interruptions to Argentinian supply in 2004-5.

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In the most challenging market conditions facing the Western Australian economy for a generation, the WA Government’s decision to place restrictions on the development of a potential new energy resource runs counter to the Government’s COVID-19 recovery plans of stimulating the economy and creating jobs.

APPEA’s WA Director Claire Wilkinson said: “As we look to the post-COVID-19 recovery, all responsible development, including of WA’s onshore natural gas resources and the economic activity and jobs it provides, should be encouraged, not stifled.

“A recent APPEA survey showed 89% of members surveyed have deferred project investment as a result of COVID-19.

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Geoscientist employment in Australia improved in the second quarter of 2020.  Nationally, unemployment decreased to 8.6% from 10% in the March quarter, while underemployment also fell to 17.4% from 18.1% for the period.

AIG President, Andrew Waltho, described the improvement as most welcome.  “The level of improvement observed in the survey results was small but defied the increase in unemployment observed in the Australian community as a whole, and the sharp downturn in economic activity affecting Australia’s economy” Mr Waltho said. 

“Some caution is needed with the improvement recorded only representing half of the increase observed during the first quarter of this year, but any improvement under the economic conditions prevailing in Australia at the moment is both welcome and encouraging” Mr Waltho said.

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The latest Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Gas Market Inquiry 2017-2025 report has confirmed for the eighth consecutive time that there is no shortfall in the domestic gas market.

The ACCC report again highlighted actions taken by the oil and gas industry to bring more natural gas into the local market will continue natural gas supply, ensuring domestic gas supply with a surplus of gas available to the domestic gas market.

APPEA Chief Executive Andrew McConville said despite facing strong headwinds including COVID-19 and the most challenging market conditions in a generation, the industry has increased the flow of gas to the east coast domestic market and this will continue.

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The International Gas Union’s (IGU) Global Gas Report 2020 release has found that after a year of strong growth in 2019 and a year of COVID-19 related challenges in 2020, the global gas industry is set to play a vital role in economic recovery and in a cleaner energy future.

The report finds technology and innovation can play key roles as countries, including Australia, look to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.  Technologies such as biomethane, hydrogen and gas with carbon capture and storage can all play a key role in emissions reduction.

APPEA Chief Executive Andrew McConville said:

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Chevron is aiming to bring the second train at its Gorgon LNG plant back online in September after it found “weld quality issues” within the propane heat exchangers and shut down the facility on May 23 as part of a planned maintenance schedule.

The global supermajor said repairs were being carried out at the plant on Barrow Island and the company had targeted the early part of September for a restart.

This comes after the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union had called for the 15.6 mtpa plant to be shut down, citing safety concerns.

The union claimed that cracks up to a metre long had been found on eight exchangers.

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