Next LNG Phase Offers Great Opportunities For Australia Tuesday, 12 January 2016

While the “once in a generation” Australian oil and gas construction boom has passed its peak, the LNG sector still provides a major opportunity for Australian companies, according to a leading engineering specialist.

Francis Norman, the Immediate Past President of Engineers Australia’s WA Division and a keynote speaker at the Australasian Oil & Gas Exhibition & Conference (AOG) 2016, says while many of the major LNG projects are now transitioning from a construction to an operational phase, there are many new opportunities for Australian skills to be at the forefront.

“There will be a great need for operations and maintenance personnel at both the engineering and trades levels to plan and undertake shut down work, both onsite and in design and supply offices as each of the new facilities come on line,” Mr Norman said.

Game-changing FLNG developments like Prelude also offered many new opportunities.

“For companies, the way to be involved in the opportunities associated with FLNG will be to provide services to support the operations of new facilities at a cost and quality level that is competitive, whilst demonstrating a safety record that matches that of the operators. Most Australian businesses already have the necessary safety record and skill set needed; the challenge is for them to understand how best to access the overall FLNG supply chain,” he said.

Mr Norman, who was part of the team that wrote the Engineers Australia report “Our FLNG Future Engineering Opportunities and Challenges” says Australia has a capability to be a world leader in providing support to the burgeoning FLNG sector.

“One of the findings of our research is that Australia has the skills and capability to pursue a world leading position in the support of the FLNG sector. Western Australia has a long history of both offshore production from fixed and floating facilities, giving the region a strong starting position to pursue a position of global leadership,” he said.

However, Mr Norman said that Australia should not take this opportunity for granted.

Our report found the industry needs to build a strong, collaborative culture between organisations, to identify the unique strengths held here in Australia, and to identify the global gaps in knowledge, skills and experience so we can focus on filling them. This will need a robust relationship between our academic institutions, operators and the broader support industry.”

He also noted that the local engineering sector must ensure that it retains the skills and personnel to make the most of the opportunities the LNG business may bring.

With the expansion boom now over, future opportunities in the resources sector are almost all in the areas of operations support and maintenance. It is critically important that Australia’s engineers recognise this change in the landscape and reconfigure their skill sets to best address this.”

To hear more about Australia’s LNG opportunities, Mr Norman and a range of industry specialists will be presenting at the “Service & Supply Opportunities in LNG Projects and Operations” Stream, on Thursday, February 25 11:30am-12:00pm at AOG 2016. For more information on Mr Norman's presentation, click here.

For more information or to register now please go to aogexpo.com.au