Santos announces $360 million expansion of Fairview gas field north of Roma
Gas giant Santos has announced a mega expansion of its Fairview gas field north of Roma, with 130 new wells and more than 150 jobs to be supported by the project.
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A major expansion of a south west gas field will more than 150 jobs and millions of dollars into the region.
Energy giant Santos confirmed it would be expanding its Fairview gas field north of Roma, with the project expected to cost $360 million.
The major expansion will begin this month, with the first gas from the project expected to start flowing in October.
Santos says at peak production, the project will produce around 78 terajoules per day, equivalent to about 25 per cent of domestic demand in Queensland.
But the new project won’t be directly helping to ease the gas shortage plaguing the nation energy markets at the moment.
The new wells will feed into the Gladstone LNG pipeline, destined for export to the world.
Santos Managing Director and CEO Kevin Gallagher said this would instead free up supply elsewhere in the domestic market.
He also said the new project would prove a major boost for the Maranoa economy.
“Not only will this new investment provide ongoing employment for 160 drilling and construction contractors over the next two and a half years, it will deliver an additional $91.5 million in royalties for Queensland,” Mr Gallagher said.
“Importantly, local communities and businesses will benefit with over $100 million to be spent on local goods and services to support the project.”
An amount of $600,000 will also go to the Maranoa and Banana Regional Councils for road upgrades and maintenance.
The mega company last year announced an expansion at its Yebna North project near Chinchilla, to connect 13 appraisal wells to the existing Fairview pipeline and power distribution network.
It comes as the Federal Government seeks to find a solution to the major shortfall in gas supply across the nation, while The Greens say the government should not be considering ramping up coal or opening up more gas to deal with the issues.
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