Senex Energy is set to create 100 jobs and support hundreds of manufacturing roles after winning a competitive tender for gas acreage that will expand its successful Atlas domestic gas project.
The Queensland natural gas company has also announced that it has a supply agreement with the sustainable lube-oil recycling firm Northern Oil Refinery in Gladstone, on Queensland’s central coast. The agreement supports more than 30 jobs at the refinery and hundreds more at collection depots around Queensland.
Senex said it had created 250 construction jobs and invested $400 million in the company’s Atlas and Roma North projects in the Surat Basin during the past 18 months, benefiting more than 50 businesses in the region. The projects are now delivering much‑needed gas to Queensland manufacturers, supporting manufacturing companies and the hundreds of people they employ in the State.
Senex said Atlas “is the result of the Queensland Government dedicating the first natural gas acreage in Australia to supplying domestic customers. The same condition applies to this new tenement. The natural gas produced by Senex also supports the regional economy and generates royalties for the State Government to support roads, schools and hospitals.
Senex Managing Director Ian Davies said the award of further natural gas tenements would enable the company to increase production from the successful Atlas domestic gas project by 50 per cent and to continue to explore for, and develop, new gas resources for the domestic market.
“The expansion of Atlas, with our energy infrastructure partner Jemena, will be another demonstration that Queensland is doing the heavy lifting in supplying more gas to the domestic market and helping Australia’s gas-led economic recovery,” Mr Davies said.
“We have just invested $400 million in gas projects in regional Queensland and this new acreage means there is much more to come, with over 100 jobs to be created in development.
“Senex will also be supporting a further 30 direct jobs and hundreds of indirect jobs by providing gas to its new customer – Gladstone’s oil recycling facility Northern Oil Refinery – from the expanded Atlas project. This adds to our existing portfolio of domestic customers with a Queensland presence including CSR, Orora, Visy and CleanCo Queensland, reinforcing Senex’s importance as a supplier to the east coast market.
“We look forward to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to bring these benefits, and more, to Queensland communities.”
