Participants at MEPAU’s most recent Community Information Exchange Session, held on Wednesday 18 September were keen and eager for the session to start.
Our first visitor arrived before the doors officially opened having seen the notice on the Dongara-Denison Noticeboard Facebook page. Like the other participants he was keen to learn more about the Waitsia Gas project, especially the Waitsia Stage 2 proposal, as well as other ongoing activity in the area.
The Waitsia Stage 2 development proposal involves constructing a new 250 TJ/day gas plant adjacent to the existing Xyris Production Facility and drilling up to six additional wells.
MEPAU announced the session to Mid West stakeholders on the same day the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) publicly announced that MEPAU had self-referred Waitsia Stage 2 while the design process continued.
The information session aimed to answer any questions that local residents or businesses had about the referral or any other MEPAU activities. Information about the proposal assessment process is also available on the EPA website.
A steady stream of visitors arrived throughout the afternoon with approximately 20 people stopping by for afternoon tea and a chat with a range of MEPAU personnel. They included local residents as well as interested community members from other parts of WA, government agencies, an elected official representative, other industry company personnel, local service providers and local regulators.
Visitors were mainly interested in the potential jobs and benefits to the community from Waitsia Stage 2. A representative from the Mid West Chamber of Commerce and Industry was particularly supportive of opportunities for local businesses to provide goods and services for the project and for MEPAU to further increase its local presence.
There was also interest in MEPAU’s approach to environmental management, the decommissioning project and whether any fracking was planned for Waitsia Stage 2. MEPAU staff clarified that the Waitsia gas field is a conventional reservoir and no fracking is required.
Since the session was held, MEPAU has received a few inquiries from people who were unable to attend. Information has been provided and plans for another session are underway to coincide with the next project milestone.
Meanwhile, if you have a query about any aspect of MEPAU’s activities, please get in touch.
