She will now be able to claim the expansion of the Alcan refinery with its 1700 new jobs as an economic milestone for her Government after many fruitless efforts to harrass, cajole, bully and bludgeon the many Timor Sea gas players into supplying her domestic market with affordable energy.
The 1,000km pipeline project is expected to employ at least 500 workers on building teams, with work to be completed by 2007. The Alcan expansion will employ another 1200 workers during the construction phase.
"With Bayu-Undan about to come online, and Blacktip now closer to development, our vision of the Timor Sea becoming a major new international gas province is becoming a reality," said Martin.
These projects add up to $2.5 billion in capital expenditure in coming years, with approximately $500m to be spent on the Blacktip offshore development, another $500m on the 1,000km pipeline from Wadeye to Mataranka and onto Gove, on top of the $1.5 billion Alcan expansion."
Subject to the finalisation of a feasibility study and environmental approvals, work on the Alcan expansion could begin in 2005, with completion expected in 2007.
