Apache says full gas production in Australia may take six months
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
SYDNEY, June 23 (AFP): Energy company Apache said today it expected Western Australian gas production to be partly restored by mid- August, but that it could take six months for full production to resume after a blast at its Varanus Island plant.
The June 3 explosion forced the plant's closure, slashing Western Australia's gas supply by 30 per cent and causing an energy crisis in the booming, resource-rich state with the potential to hurt the national economy.
Apache said after completing an initial assessment of the impact of the blast, it hoped to have production back to its normal level of 315 million cubic feet per day by December.
The June 3 explosion forced the plant's closure, slashing Western Australia's gas supply by 30 per cent and causing an energy crisis in the booming, resource-rich state with the potential to hurt the national economy.
Apache said after completing an initial assessment of the impact of the blast, it hoped to have production back to its normal level of 315 million cubic feet per day by December.