More than 680 new jobs were created as part of Jemena’s $800 million Northern Gas Pipeline project in the Northern Territory and Queensland in 2017, Jemena analysis has found.
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The 622km gas pipeline project also saw local businesses and organisations across Queensland and the Territory awarded 205 contracts in 2017.
NGP Project Director, Jonathan Spink, said the strong jobs figures were a testament to the community’s ability, interest, and desire to be part of this nation-building project.
“Pleasingly over half of the jobs created by the NGP project have been in the Barkly and Mount Isa regions,” Mr Spink said.
“Over 230 positions have been secured by people from Aboriginal communities in these areas.”
Mr Spink said jobs awarded in 2017 spanned the NGP’s planning and construction phases with employees engaged to operate machinery, conduct environmental and cultural assessments, act as labourers, and complete pipelining works.
In 2017 Jemena constructed 403km of pipeline – 262km in the Northern Territory and 141km in Queensland. Jemena also developed and delivered its Project Ready Training Program as well as the Tennant Creek Social Employment Project. These programs provided training and development opportunities for members of the communities surrounding the pipeline route. In 2017, over 60 people successfully completed these programs with more than half going on to secure employment on the NGP or in related fields.
Mr Spink said Jemena had been welcomed into the community and they had contributed to community organisations in its NGP Sponsorship Program.
“In 2017 we provided support to eight organisations in the Barkly and Mount Isa regions including the Stars Foundation – where we provided interview preparation training and mentoring to young Aboriginal women; Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation; the Barkly State Emergency Service; the Northern Outback Business Awards; and, the Bushfires NT Volunteer Fire Brigade in Tennant Creek,” he said.
The construction of the NGP will continue in 2018 with first gas expected to flow late this year.
Jemena has signed an agreement to expand the NGP to bring gas from Galilee Energy’s Glenaras Gas Project in the Galilee Basin to the east-coast domestic gas market.