Work starts on concrete offshore structures facility at Bunbury

1/3/95

Work will begin today to create a new multi-million-dollar industry, set to generate hundreds of jobs for the South-West and the State.

In Bunbury today, Resources Development Minister Colin Barnett turned the first sod of earth to mark the site for Western Australia's latest industry, a concrete offshore structures facility for the oil and gas sector.

As a part of a two-stage project, a new concrete casting basin would be developed at Bunbury Inner Harbour to build a concrete platform base for the $480 million Wandoo oil field in the North West Shelf.

"The $80 million construction project will provide up to 400 construction jobs and will generate about $20 million in wages in the Bunbury region alone," Mr Barnett said.

The Minister said both the Department of Resources Development and leading concrete industry associations had worked for about a year to develop this new industry for WA. He said the Government was pleased with the industry's support.

The casting basin and initial construction project would be carried out by the Wandoo Alliance, which involved Ampolex Limited and a group of local construction and engineering companies.

Work would start on the concrete structure mid-year and would be completed by late 1996.

Mr Barnett said that once the Wandoo structure had been built, opportunities existed for at least seven more concrete platforms for the North West Shelf within the next 10 years.

"The continuing use of this facility would create thousands more jobs and would provide a multi-million dollar specialist industry for the State," he said.

The Minister said concrete structures were cheaper to build than conventional steel platforms and were developed to withstand harsh conditions, such as cyclones.

"Importantly, a concrete structure facility in WA would allow the oil and gas sector to increase its reliance on local services and would provide yet another specialist industry for WA," he said.

Mr Barnett said that while the new industry would introduce significant technical and construction skills to local industry, many jobs would also be created for building labourers, carpenters and steel fixers.

He said the new industry would also be a timely support for Australia's oil and gas production which was fast gathering pace.  WA was set to become the nation's leading oil and condensate producing State.

The casting basin, similar to a dry dock, would be located on about 16 ha of land on the edge of Bunbury Inner Harbour.

"The first concrete platform, which will be shaped similar to an upturned table, will be almost as tall as Bunbury's Forrest Centre building and would have a base the size of the average soccer field," Mr Barnett said.

Once completed, the casting basin would be flooded to enable the structure to be floated out to sea and towed into position in the North West Shelf, where it would be used in oil production and would store 300,000 barrels of oil.

The Minister said concrete structures were increasingly being used overseas. About 25 concrete structures were being used in the oil-rich North Sea.

Media contact: Carolyn Vicars 222 9699