RENEWABLE ENERGY

WA Govt orders review of gas security

THE WA State Government has ordered a review into the security of the state's gas supplies follow...

WA Govt orders review of gas security

Premier Alan Carpenter, who was at Varanus Island yesterday to inspect the repairs to the gas facilities damaged in the June 3 explosion, said it was time for WA to look at what needed to be done to ensure any future supply interruptions had the smallest impact.

"While investigations continue into what caused the Varanus Island incident, we need to ensure we have security of supply into the future," the Premier said.

"It is great news that gas has begun flowing from Varanus Island again and that the worst of the gas shortage is behind us.

"However, full restoration is not expected until later in the year and it cannot be forgotten that challenging times still lay ahead for some sections of WA industry."

The Office of Energy, which has managed the gas shortage caused by the Varanus explosion, will undertake the review.

According to the Premier, the Office of Energy was already reviewing the circumstances behind WA's first gas interruption this year, when an incident at the North West Shelf Joint Venture's Karratha gas plant cut supplies for several days in January.

He said that review would also be expanded to consider future gas security options.

"Various propositions have been put forward this year, ranging from a second pipeline from the north of the state to the south, to building massive gas storage facilities near Perth," he stated.

"The cost and viability of many of these ideas has been called into question by industry. But we need to consider all options - and that is exactly what I have asked the Office of Energy to do."

The Premier also said WA has been well served by government efforts to diversify energy supplies. These included encouraging more gas production activity closer to Perth, actively pursing geothermal energy options and a rapidly growing renewable energy sector.

The Office of Energy will also work with the Federal Government in its review and report back to the WA Government within six months.

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