Gallop leads US trade mission

PREMIER Geoff Gallop is currently leading an eight-day trade mission to the US and Mexico in a bid to promote Western Australia’s vast natural resources and the State’s reputation as a stable supplier.

The delegation includes senior resource representatives from the Chamber of Minerals and Energy, Shell Development Australia, Woodside, Chevron Texaco Australia, BHP Billiton Petroleum, Alcoa and Rio Tinto.

Dr Gallop said that, by 2020, the US would consume 62 per cent more natural gas than current levels and that WA had the potential to meet that demand.

Two-way trade between WA and the US totalled $3.3 billion in 2002-03.

North America is regarded as one of the most significant growing markets for importing LNG because of a predicted shortfall between rapidly rising natural gas demand and declining domestic supply.

In California, the trip will include visits to BHP Billiton Petroleum, Chevron Texaco and Shell. In Washington, Dr Gallop will meet senior representatives of the US Administration and Rio Tinto. In New York he will deliver a keynote address at the Harvard Business Club, as well as meet senior Alcoa and Woodside executives.

In Mexico, the premier will visit the sites of proposed terminals to import LNG from the Gorgon development to the North American west coast.

“The purpose of our trip is to help strengthen the economic future of our State,” Dr Gallop said.

“A major focus will be on our abundant reserves of natural gas and our record as a stable supplier to markets such as Japan.

“In China earlier this year we also found that the world is hungry for clean sources of energy, so we should make every effort to expand our export markets for Liquefied Natural Gas.

Tapping in to the lucrative American market is a window of opportunity we should not ignore.”