Western Australia’s unconventional gas sector is to be put under the spotlight at a conference in Aberdeen in November.
The state has seen activity in the sector heating up as the global unconventional gas market gains momentum – according to a senior government official.
Western Australia’s agent general to Europe, Kevin Skipworth, said he believes the state’s emerging unconventional gas sector will play an important part in domestic and international energy supply in the future.
At present, Western Australia is estimated to hold the world’s seventh-largest reserves of shale gas – totalling 288 trillion cu ft.
“This is double the amount of WA’s known conventional gas reserves and does not include other known prospective areas or the potential for tight gas discoveries,” said Mr Skipworth.
To aid development of these resources, Mr Skipworth said the Western Australian Government was focusing on initiatives relating to regulation, as well as skilled labour and training, approvals, safety, and exploration.
These issues and more will be discussed by Mr Skipworth at the second Unconventional Gas Conference, taking place at the AECC in Aberdeen November 27-28.
The event’s chairman, Tom Pickering, said: “Having a government official from such a pro-investment, resources-rich jurisdiction at the event will certainly prove interesting to all delegates.
“Mr Skipworth can offer a deeper understanding of the Western Australian unconventional gas sector and how it is being regulated.”
Other speakers at the event include experts from other government organisations across the globe, academia and industry, including Chevron, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Cuadrilla, Instinct Energy and Dart Energy.