Western Australia government has worked out a plan to establish an LNG Jobs Taskforce consisting industry and government members, aiming to establish WA as an LNG hub.
Western Australia’s share of the nation’s LNG export capacity by late 2018 will be about 57 percent, or close to 50 million tonnes, with LNG volumes having increased by 84 percent in the past five years.
The taskforce will focus on creating job opportunities the LNG industry can be providing the WA community, including new technology, education and maintenance services.
“Australia is set to have the world’s largest LNG export capacity by mid-2018, surpassing Qatar, so now is the time for our State to act and become a global hub,” WA’s premier Mark McGowan said at a conference in Perth.
He noted that with the expansion of its existing LNG operations, courses could be provided that align with the needs of the industry to prepare the local workforce for the future job opportunities.
Commenting on the WA government’s decision, Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA), chief operating officer WA, Stedman Ellis said collaboration between government and industry was the key to creating a new LNG service sector.
“As the construction phase is reaching completion, we need to seize the opportunity to develop an innovative local service sector to support LNG operations for decades to come,” Stedman said.