Browse LNG - Woodside signs land deal for Browse LNG Project

Woodside announced that a Native Title Agreement has been executed to enable the establishment of the Browse LNG Precinct near James Price Point, 60 km north of Broome in Western Australia. The Agreement, between Woodside, the State of Western Australia and the Goolarabooloo Jabirr Jabirr native title claim group, secures the land required for the State Government’s LNG Precinct and provides a significant package of benefits and initiatives for Indigenous people in the Kimberley.

The initiatives in the Agreement are worth in excess of A$1 billion over the life of the precinct and have the potential to enact meaningful and positive change to the economic and social circumstances of Indigenous people in the Kimberley. Woodside’s commitments include the implementation of ongoing education, training and employment initiatives, Indigenous job targets, support for Indigenous businesses, cultural initiatives and payments upon project milestones being met, including a final investment decision.

The Agreement also recognises the importance of the area to the Goolarabooloo Jabirr Jabirr native title claimants and underscores Woodside’s commitment to an environmentally, socially and culturally responsible LNG development. The execution of the Agreement is the culmination of more than two years of negotiations following a Heads of Agreement signed in April 2009 and is a significant milestone for the proposed Browse LNG Precinct.

Woodside acknowledges the commitment of the Goolarabooloo and Jabirr Jabirr people, the Kimberley Land Council, and the Government of Western Australia in securing this agreement. Woodside was appointed as a foundation proponent for the precinct under a Preliminary Development Agreement signed with the State in October 2009. Woodside is the major equity holder in the proposed Browse LNG Development which aims to commercialise the Brecknock, Calliance and Torosa gas and condensate fields in the Browse Basin, 425km off the Kimberley coast. The proposed development includes offshore extraction and production facilities, pipelines to shore, onshore LNG and condensate production facilities, and associated export infrastructure at the Browse LNG Precinct.

Gorgon, Browse and Wheatstone Projects require Construction Workers and Engineers

Australia will need to import workers if it wants to take full advantage of its abundant natural resources, the nation's largest private construction company says. Daniel Grollo, chief executive of Grocon Group, wants the federal government to start planning for the massive skills shortage the country faces as private investment in infrastructure and construction recovers from the global financial crisis. Huge gas developments off the northwest coast of Australia alone require a more mobile workforce and more skilled migrants, he says.

JobContax will be recruiting experienced civils professionals for numerous large LNG Projects in Western Australia, on an ongoing basis.

US energy giant Chevron is using thousands of workers to construct the A$43 billion (US$42.49 billion) Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) project on Barrow Island off the northwest coast of Western Australia. Also in WA, Chevron is planning its Wheatstone LNG project, while Woodside Petroleum Ltd (ASX:WPL) aims to expand its Pluto LNG project, construction of which is nearing completion.

"I think we've got a really, really big challenge up in the northwest. You've got to see this to believe it," Mr Grollo told an Australia-Israeli Chamber of Commerce lunch in Sydney on Tuesday. "We've heard a lot about Gorgon, and the reality is another two or three projects of the same scale are coming in the very near future. "Australia just does not have the mobility in its workforce to go and solve that issue. "If we want Australia to be a prosperous country, if we want to take advantage of the natural resources we have, if we want to participate in the growth of China in the resources sector, then we're going to have to do something about people, and that's going to need a lot of foreign workers."

Courtesy of:  http://www.downstreamtoday.com/news/article.aspx?a_id=24935

Browse LNG Project Overview

The Browse LNG project will be the largest LNG export facility in Western Australia's north-west coast.
The total value of the project is around $20bn and will be the largest project awarded in Australia.

JobContax currently have a number of positions to fill for the project. Check out their website for more details.

The facility, which will be located 425km north-west of Broome, will help in the distribution of gas from three gas fields – Torosa (discovered 1971), Brecknock (discovered 1979) and Calliance fields (discovered 2000), comprising the Browse gas fields of the Browse Basin (water depths of 35m to 700m). These fields were estimated to have reserves of 13.3 trillion cubic feet of dry gas and 360 million barrels of condensate as of 31 December 2009, with a field life of 40 years.

The Browse LNG project comprises the East and West Browse joint ventures operated by Woodside Energy. Although planning has been underway since 2006, the final decision about where to build the 10mtpa LNG facility was made in February 2010. The James Price Point, 60km north of Broome in Western Australia, was selected as the project location.

The facility is expected to be online 2013–15. In February 2010, the project entered its design phase. The contract for the design phase was awarded to Bechtel Oil, Gas and Chemical, Bechtel Australia and Kellogg Brown & Root. During this phase the major design parameters will be determined, which will allow the optimal development of the gas fields offshore and facilities onshore at the Browse LNG Precinct. The design phase will be followed by the project's front end engineering and design in 2011 and the final investment decision will be made by mid-2012.

The shareholders in the Browse LNG project include Woodside with 50%, BHP Billiton, BP, Chevron and Shell.