Another milestone in the road towards the commissioning of the Goldfields Gas Pipeline

30/9/96

Resources Development Minister Colin Barnett has officially opened another milestone in the road towards the commissioning of the Goldfields Gas Pipeline.

In West Perth today, Mr Barnett opened the high tech control centre which will manage and monitor all aspects of the 1,380 kilometre gas pipeline, the third longest gas line in Australia.

The gas has already begun to flow from the North-West and is due to reach the Goldfields this Friday.

Mr Barnett said that the Pipeline Control Centre in West Perth would be the hub of the pipeline's operations.

"It is from here that the control team will be able to watch over the safety of the field staff, while monitoring and analysing the working of the line," Mr Barnett said.

"The $450 million pipeline is an extraordinary project and all data regarding its performance will come into the Pipeline Control Centre via a sophisticated satellite network.

"The control centre will be backed up by an emergency control station at Kalgoorlie however, the pipeline will be able to be fully controlled out of West Perth.

"If action is called for, the controllers will be able to open and shut valves, start and stop compressors and adjust pipeline flow, all with the click of a mouse from the control centre.

"Out in the field, staff will be travelling in four wheel drive vehicles equipped with satellite and HF radio linked to a positioning system which can track their movements."

Mr Barnett said that the Pipeline Control Centre was an excellent achievement for Goldfields Gas Transmission and that its sophisticated communications equipment would oversee the smooth running of one of Australia's most important energy assets.

The Goldfields Gas Transmission Pipeline carries natural gas from the North West to the Eastern Pilbara and Eastern Goldfields. Its gas is sourced from fields in the waters off the North West Shelf and will supply resource projects and communities along the length of pipe.

Construction of the pipeline began in August last year. It will be officially opened by the Premier Richard Court on Friday.

The privately funded pipeline has been built by subsidiaries of WMC Resources, Gold Mines of Kalgoorlie and BHP Minerals.

Media contact: Justine Whittome 222 9699