The State Government has announced a $150,000 grant for a feasibility study into the construction of Australia's first Well Integrity and Subsea Support (WISS) facility.
The State Government has announced a $150,000 grant for a feasibility study into the construction of Australia's first Well Integrity and Subsea Support (WISS) facility.
Science and Innovation Minister Francis Logan said the study would be conducted by Advanced Well Technology for a facility to be built at the Australian Marine Complex (AMC) at Henderson.
Mr Logan said the study should be completed by May and, if the project was given the green light, construction could start later this year.
"Western Australia's oil and gas industry has grown to become a vital pillar of our State's economic prosperity," Mr Logan said.
"We have a number of prospective sedimentary basins adjacent to our coast, making WA an ideal location to establish a world-class WISS facility."
Mr Logan said the facility would be the only one specifically designed to meet the subsea sector needs of the Asia-Pacific region and would further establish WA as a significant global player in the offshore oil and gas industry.
Offshore oil and gas production has traditionally been undertaken on rig platforms that are effectively towers standing from the sea floor. As production moves to deeper waters, the cost of building these platforms increases and subsea production has become a more economic alternative.
But before multi-million dollar equipment is put on the sea floor at depths greater than 500m, the equipment needs to be tested.
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20/03/06
Boost for offshore oil and gas industry.
The State Government has announced a $150,000 grant for a feasibility study into the construction of Australia's first Well Integrity and Subsea Support (WISS) facility.
Science and Innovation Minister Francis Logan said the study would be conducted by Advanced Well Technology for a facility to be built at the Australian Marine Complex (AMC) at Henderson.
Mr Logan said the study should be completed by May and, if the project was given the green light, construction could start later this year.
"Western Australia's oil and gas industry has grown to become a vital pillar of our State's economic prosperity," Mr Logan said.
"We have a number of prospective sedimentary basins adjacent to our coast, making WA an ideal location to establish a world-class WISS facility."
Mr Logan said the facility would be the only one specifically designed to meet the subsea sector needs of the Asia-Pacific region and would further establish WA as a significant global player in the offshore oil and gas industry.
Offshore oil and gas production has traditionally been undertaken on rig platforms that are effectively towers standing from the sea floor. As production moves to deeper waters, the cost of building these platforms increases and subsea production has become a more economic alternative.
But before multi-million dollar equipment is put on the sea floor at depths greater than 500m, the equipment needs to be tested.
"The proposed WISS facility will enable testing to be done in simulated conditions similar to those of the sea floor," Mr Logan said.
"It will be an independently managed, open-access facility that will provide expertise and capabilities to support the operations of WA companies, relieving them of the burden of developing such capabilities themselves.
"The Carpenter Government supports the development of the oil and gas industry in WA and sees the AMC as the focal point for the development of the service industry, especially with the number of subsea projects currently in progress."
