The Australia Pacific LNG upstream operator, which is tossing up selling or listing Lattice Energy to alleviate its $8.1 billion debt, started transitioning permanent operational employees from company-run camps on the project's operational sites to town-based accommodation in the Western Downs.

 

During FY17 Origin directly employed 157 people from the local community, a 7% drop from FY16 (168), the bulk of which occurred when it sold APLNG-owned farm properties and outsourced property management on the remaining farms.

 

APLNG, a joint venture with ConocoPhillips and Sinopec, sent its first cargo in January 2016 having drilled, completed and connected 977 gas wells and built a 730km pipeline connecting the gas fields with the LNG facility on Curtis Island.

 

All that required 15,000 workers on the upstream (generation) and downstream (retail) parts of the project.

 

The second train started production last October, by which time APLNG had loaded 47 cargoes.

 

FY17 saw Origin improve its supplier database so it can more easily identify indigenous businesses, the company revealed in its Sustainability Report issued yesterday.

 

The company directly spent $575,000 across 16 indigenous businesses to provide goods and services including office stationery, rehabilitation and environmental services, and security maintenance.

 

That's a 45% increase in the number of indigenous businesses engaged, but a 93% fall in spending due to a declining amount of civil works on the project.

 

Origin continued to partner with not-for-profit enterprise Many Rivers that provides support and advice primarily to small indigenous businesses.

 

There are still ongoing, long-term roles in communities including Chinchilla, Miles and Roma, with Origin providing support and allowances to help eligible employees with living locally.