Approximately 25 people came along to the recent Community Information Exchange Session held at the Shire of Irwin Recreation Centre. The session was co-hosted by Mitsui E&P Australia (MEPAU) and Clough to present an activities update. This session had been postponed from late last year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The session was a chance for participants to catch up on MEPAU’s latest activities in the Mid West, especially the Waitsia Stage 2 project. It was designed to be an informal “drop-in for a cuppa and a chat” event. This approach encourages conversation about topics of interest to individuals and provides an opportunity for participants to provide feedback.
Attendees included landowners of properties that will host Waitsia Stage 2 infrastructure, local accommodation and real estate business people, other Mid West facilities operators, a journalist and local residents.
People mainly asked about Waitsia Stage 2 contracting and employment opportunities, likely benefits to local businesses, greenhouse gas management measures and also decommissioning and project schedules. Local business owners promoted regional services and their interest in being involved in a range of activities.
Since the last information session was held, the Waitsia Stage 2 project has moved into execution phase, Clough has been appointed as the lead facilities construction contractor, the construction schedule has been confirmed and some long-lead regulatory approvals are now in place.
The construction phase of Waitsia Stage 2 involves building a 250 TJ/day gas plant, drilling up to six new wells and installing associated infrastructure. The project area mostly covers cleared, private property and the new gas plant will be near several existing gas facilities located along Pye Road.
Construction is scheduled to begin in August 2021 with a Temporary Construction Village being built near the new gas plant site. It will house the construction workforce, which is expected to peak at approximately 200 people.
Clough is the lead contractor for developing the Waitsia Stage 2 gas plant and Temporary Construction Village. Key project personnel met local stakeholders who came along to the session and also met one-on-one with other local service providers and some landowners.
Like MEPAU, Clough is planning to engage local service providers where practical. Clough has created a register exclusively for locals to record their interest in contracting opportunities. To learn more, contact Clough.
In addition to the Waitsia Stage 2 project, the Decommissioning and Rehabilitation project is steadily progressing. Well sites and facilities that are no longer being used within MEPAU’s overall permit area, which stretches from north of Dongara to south of Eneabba, are being decommissioned and rehabilitated so they can be returned to the landowner for ongoing use.
The Community Information Exchange Session was promoted through the Dongara Rag newsletter, the Mid West Chamber of Commerce and Industry newsletter, and emails to MEPAU Mid West website subscribers and community investment partners.
