The Western Australian government has called for tenders to design and construct a major natural gas trunkline to extend from the end of the Dampier-Bunbury line some 350 km southeast to reach Albany in the state’s far south.
The line will pass close to key regional towns including Manjimup, Donnybrook, Bridgetown, and Mt. Barker.
The pipeline will be designed, built, and operated by a private-sector entity, but state-owned Verve Energy will have an interest in the project.
The successful tenderer will be responsible for selecting the precise route through a 50-m wide corridor as well as for negotiating land access agreements through this corridor.
The cost and scale of the new line has yet to be quantified, but the government has estimated the project cost to be near $135 million (Aus.).
The line will carry an expected 12 terajoules/day of gas and give investment incentives to local viticulture, agriculture, mineral processing, and timber industries in the state’s southern regions.
The preferred owner and operator will be announced by mid-2013.
