Australian energy infrastructure company APA Group has announced the official opening of its new Northern Goldfields Interconnect (NGI) gas pipeline in Western Australia.
The new buried pipeline, which is 580km in length, connects the Dampier-to-Bunbury natural gas pipeline to the Goldfields gas pipeline.
It is expected to improve access to both existing and new natural gas production regions as well as gas storage infrastructure, in particular in the developing Perth Basin of Western Australia.
APA CEO and managing director Adam Watson said: “This infrastructure is the missing link in Western Australia’s gas network. For years an interconnected gas grid on the east coast has helped manage supply and demand challenges across key markets.
“With the completion of the NGI, linking Western Australia’s two major north-south gas pipelines, APA will ensure greater flexibility and security to meet the state’s long-term energy needs.”
According to Watson, the NGI creates an interconnected gas pipeline network of 2,690km from north to south and west to east of the Western Australian province.
Beginning in Ambania, about 50km east of Geraldton, the NGI pipeline connects to the Goldfields Gas Pipeline, about 40km south of Leinster.
Western Australia Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Energy, Hydrogen Industry and Industrial Relations Bill Johnston said: “Projects like this play a valuable role in helping to drive economic diversification, and this pipeline provides a platform for growth opportunities throughout the mid-west and Goldfields.
“The A$460m [$308m] project has made a significant boost to regional employment – at its peak there were 520 construction workers. The Cook Government [Roger Cook is the Premier of Western Australia] is supportive of proponents that bring additional gas supply to the market, especially as new supply is critical to meet demand.”
