Jemena is conducting critical maintenance on its $800 million Northern Gas Pipeline (NGP), over the coming weeks, with a peak workforce on-site in mid-October.
This work is crucial to ensuring the pipeline can continue to deliver gas to homes, businesses, and communities across northern Australia safely and reliably.
The NGP transports gas which underpins hundreds of manufacturing jobs in north-west Queensland and also provides a fuel-stock for electricity generation in the region, helping to keep the lights on for more than 20,000 homes and businesses in Mount Isa, Cloncurry and nearby communities.
Jemena’s Executive General Manager of Gas Markets, Antoon Boey, said around 120 people will arrive in the Barkly region as part of the maintenance program.
“In keeping with our Locals First Policy, over 85 per cent of people working on the pipeline will be drawn from the Northern Territory and Queensland, with 17 specialists coming from other parts of the country, including Victoria,” Mr Boey said.
Mr Boey said Jemena had used guidelines developed by the Northern Territory Government to develop its COVID-19 Management Plan which establishes a framework that keeps people safe, while allowing critical work to occur.
The plan has been reviewed and endorsed by the relevant authorities in the Territory.
As part of Jemena’s COVID-19 Management Plan, all interstate personnel will complete a COVID-19 test prior to travelling into the Northern Territory.
“Our chief priority has and always will be to protect the health and well-being of the Tennant Creek community,” Mr Boey said.
“In addition to self-isolating while in the Northern Territory, we have taken steps to further ensure interstate personnel do not come into contact with members of the local community.
“To do this we have secured private transportation into and around the Territory. We have also ensured interstate personnel remain separated from local employees at the Phillip Creek Compressor Station.
“We have also briefed relevant local authorities, including Northern Territory Police in Tennant Creek, about our maintenance program.”
A member of Jemena’s Stakeholder Management team will be on-site in Tennant Creek to answer questions about the maintenance program and Jemena’s COVID-19 Management Plan.
Anyone with questions or concerns in relation to the maintenance program is encouraged to call 1300 081 989.
