Apache Energy has advised that gas flow has been reinstated on 6 August 2008 following the June 3 pipeline explosion on Varanus Island. This has been achieved earlier than forecast.
Apache Energy’s MD, Tim Wall, said he was
“…pleased to welcome the Premier of Western Australian, Hon Alan Carpenter MLA and the Minister for Energy, Hon Fran Logan MLA to site today to witness first-hand the restoration and repairs to the Varanus Island facility.”
According to a media statement, the partial resumption of supply is expected to be ramped up a further 120 TJ/day to 240 TJ/day by mid-August and pre-incident rates of production by the end of the year.
Alan Carpenter told reporters
“This is a significant relief for gas users as well as the economy of Western Australia…The worst of the situation is clearly over; we still have a long way to go.”
Mr Carpenter could also have been talking about his political future as only a day later he called a snap election for September 6. The resumption of gas flow must have been one of the factors encouraging this call, which has been described as “panicked” by many commentators, although far less influential in his decision-making than the resignation of the short-term opposition leader, the world-famous chair-sniffer Troy Buswell.