BEACH Energy is set to have a permanent presence in the heart of Penola after securing a building on Church Street for its regional office.
The refurbished building will be a modern office space and will include information displays highlighting the district’s gas exploration and drilling history.
Beach Energy regional manager Glenn Toogood yesterday confirmed to The Pennant the office will open at 48 Church Street early next year.
He said the office would provide a regional presence for Beach Energy and would be a central location for staff during the roll-out of its two looming conventional drilling projects and the $30m rebuild of the mothballed Katnook gas processing facility.
Beach is ramping up its drilling program in the Penola district with the Haselgrove-4 appraisal well set to begin in the first quarter of next year.
The energy giant will also undertake a fresh exploration drilling project – known as Dombey-1 – north-west of Penola.
“We are finalising the lease for the Penola office and it will accommodate myself and one other staff member,” Mr Toogood said yesterday.
“The office will also be a place where the community can come in and ask questions about our projects.”
He said Beach Energy was investing in the Penola community and would have an ongoing presence in the township.
Mr Toogood said the office building was currently a shell and it would be completely refurbished to incorporate office space and a meeting room.
The office will include information not only about Beach’s current program, but also outline the history of the gas industry in the Penola district dating back to the 1880s.
Meanwhile, he said plans were progressing regarding the rebuild of the Katnook processing facility.
“If everything goes to plan, construction is likely to begin in the first quarter of 2019,” Mr Toogood revealed.
He said the engineering design work was currently under way.
Regarding the three projects in the pipeline, Mr Toogood said Beach was committed to ensuring economic spin-offs would flow to the regional economy.
He said the company wanted to see regional suppliers and contractors benefit from these projects.
But given the specialised nature of the industry, Mr Toogood said it was not always possible to procure materials or products from the region.
Mr Toogood foreshadowed the rebuild of the Katnook gas plant could take up to 12 months.
“We will then see gas flow into the lines and back into local industry and homes,” he said.
He said the district’s gas pipe network had not had any gas flow through it since 2013.
The Haselgrove-4 appraisal well – located about 7km south of Penola – will be in close proximity to the existing cluster of Haselgrove wells.
Both exploration wells – targeting potential commercial gasfields – will not be fracture stimulated.
Beach was successful in being awarded a $6m Australian Government Gas Acceleration Program grant, which will be a significant contribution towards the cost of the new gas processing facility.
