WA signs on to $25million training and research fund with China

20/5/05
Premier Geoff Gallop has signed off on the establishment of training centres in China and Australia as part of the $25million Australia-China Natural Gas Technology Partnership Fund.
The fund was established in recognition of Australia being chosen as the first LNG supplier to China under a 25-year, $25billion contract signed in 2002.
Dr Gallop - who attended the signing ceremony with His Excellency Mr Wu Bangguo, chairman of the 10th National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China - said the signing represented a significant milestone in Western Australia's cultural and trading relationship with China, with the first production and shipment of LNG to Guangdong Province due mid-2006.
"WA has established a strong relationship with China over the past 15 years and this fund will further our ties at a commercial, Government and personal level," the Premier said.
"The fund has been based on the highly regarded Channar Fund, which was established as a research fund when the Channar Mine opened in 1990.
"This new fund will have a wider scope as it includes a training and research fund, with $1.25million per annum directed to each component over a 10-year period.
"The Australian Training Centre will be located in Perth and the Chinese Training Centre will be in Guangzhou in China's Guangdong Province.
"The training component offers the transfer of knowledge to the Chinese in the management of natural gas systems and natural gas policy and regulation."
Dr Gallop said the first trainees had already begun a 28-week training program at the Australian Centre for Natural Gas Management jointly run by The University of Western Australia and Curtin University of Technology.
This would include some valuable hands-on experience at the North-West Shelf Karratha LNG plant and some time in the Eastern States looking at regulation and operations in the gas industry.
The training in China would start in July as part of the preparations that the Chinese were making to ensure that they were ready to handle the new LNG fuel when it began to arrive in Guangdong next year.
Research programs in China and Australia would begin in June 2006 and would involve joint research on a wide range of topics in the gas industry. As with the Channar fund, the research funds would be equally spent in Australia and China over the period of the fund.
Dr Gallop said the State Government had committed $7.5million to the fund, which was matched by the Australian Government. The North West Shelf Joint Venture committed a further $10million to bring the total to $25million.
"The establishment of this fund demonstrates our desire to develop long-term mutually beneficial partnerships with China across the energy sector," he said.
"WA's significant gas reserves could service the Guangdong contract for the next 750 years.
"With projects like NWS Train 5, Gorgon, Pilbara LNG and Browse Basin coming on line, we are positive WA can continue to supply gas that is needed to meet China's growing demand for clean energy."
Premier's office: 9222 9475