Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) will expand the injection and withdrawal capacity of the Tubridgi Gas Storage facility in Western Australia to meet the growing demand of the gas market.
The final investment decision — made in early 2019 — comes after a the facility underwent a $74 million redevelopment and commissioning project in 2017, and will involve a seismic survey and expansion of the injection and withdrawal capacity to 90 terajoules a day (TJ/d) and 60 TJ/d respectively.
“AGIG embarked on the latest expansion projects in response to strong demand in the WA domestic gas market for gas storage services,” Andrew Staniford, AGIG’s Chief Customer Officer, said.
“The new expansion works are a necessary part of ensuring that AGIG can continue to meet market demand in the longer term and provide our customers with the flexibility they require to meet their energy requirements.
“These latest projects further increase our role as an owner and operator of critical infrastructure in the state and demonstrate AGIG’s confidence in WA as an investment destination, reinforcing our positive position towards improving energy security.”
The seismic survey will use the latest technology and data processing to produce detailed 3D mapping of the underground reservoir located approximately 550m below the earth’s surface. The project will define the maximum storage volume for customers and de-risk any additional wells that may be installed in the future.
The debottlenecking to increase injection and withdrawal capacity has been assessed after 12 months of operational data and technical assessments from the in-house engineering team. It is expected that the reliability of the plant will also improve with the debottlenecking processes being undertaken.
The Tubridgi Gas Storage facility — located in WA’s north-west — is owned and operated by AGIG and is the largest gas storage facility in Western Australia and the third largest in Australia. The strategic Pilbara location allows producers and consumers in the state’s domestic gas market to efficiently access gas storage services through the interconnection to the Dampier Bunbury Pipeline.
