Jemena has marked a major milestone in the supply of gas in NSW with State Minister for Resources and Energy, Anthony Roberts, together with Tony Issa, Member for Granville, and Paul Adams, Managing Director of Jemena, turning the first soil for the construction of a new $13 million facility at Greystanes.
Once completed in April 2015, the new facility will accommodate more than 170 employees who will play a key role in operating and maintaining the Jemena Gas Network, which distributes natural gas to over 1.2 million customer sites across NSW.
“This new facility is yet another demonstration of Jemena’s commitment to providing safe, reliable and efficient supply of gas to homes and businesses across NSW,” Mr Adams said.
“The purpose-built depot will house Jemena’s warehouse, field and training teams,” he said. “It will comprise a 2500 square meter warehouse, 1500 square metre office and world class training facility. It will house staff formerly based at separate Jemena facilities in Olympic Park, Wetherill Park, Smithfield and Seven Hills.”
The innovative design of the new building uses sustainability initiatives such as rain water harvesting and sustainable material selection and will meet and exceed National Energy Efficiency requirements.
Mr Adams said that the new offices would provide staff with the facilities to further improve efficiency and productivity for Jemena customers across the State.
“Jemena is very conscious of the impact that rising wholesale gas prices are having on our customers,” he said. “As a result, we have earlier this month proposed to the Australian Energy Regulator to reduce average network prices for our gas customers in NSW by up to 20% in real terms over the five years from July 2015.”
Mr Adams said that the prime beneficiaries of this reduction will be the network’s 1.2 million residential customers, who will experience an average real reduction in the distribution component of their retail gas bill of $271 over this period. Distribution charges comprise around half the retail gas bill of an average residential customer.
“As one of the most efficient gas networks in the country, we have committed to continued improvements in our productivity. The construction of these offices is yet another step on this journey,” he said.
Jemena has also recently committed to a new lease of almost 6,000 sqm of office space at 99 Walker Street in North Sydney, which will accommodate around 390 administrative staff.
