North West gas storage facility set for expansion

The injection and withdrawal capacities of WA’s largest gas storage facility, about 30km south-west of Onslow, are likely to be expanded following the completion of a seismic survey.

Last week the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group committed to conducting seismic testing at the Tubridgi gas storage facility to produce a 3-D map of its onshore reservoir and increasing the plant’s injection and withdrawal rates to 90 terajoules a day and 60 terajoules a day respectively.

The current injection and withdrawal rate of the facility, which can store 42,000TJ of gas, is 50TJ a day.

AGIG chief customer officer Andrew Staniford said the expansion plans had been sparked by growing market demand.

“AGIG embarked on the latest expansion projects in response to strong demand in the WA domestic gas market for gas storage services,” he said.

“The expansion works are a necessary part of ensuring 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.”

Mr Staniford said the company was not aiming to increase the amount of gas able to be stored, but rather how quickly it could be moved in and out.

Mr Staniford said AGIG would complete a feasibility study and have a clear plan for the facility by the end of the year.