❓ Mr Blayney asks the Minister for Mines and Petroleum about an act of vandalism at Buru Energy's Yulleroo 2 well. The Minister confirms the incident, describes the damage, and condemns the actions, highlighting the importance of onshore gas resources.
AnsweredQoN 48Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BURU
ENERGY — YULLEROO 2 WELL
48. Mr I.C.
BLAYNEY to the Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
Can the minister please describe to the house the apparent
act of vandalism that occurred earlier this year at Buru Energy's
Yulleroo 2 well?
ENERGY — YULLEROO 2 WELL
48. Mr I.C.
BLAYNEY to the Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
Can the minister please describe to the house the apparent
act of vandalism that occurred earlier this year at Buru Energy's
Yulleroo 2 well?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Geraldton for the opportunity to
outline to the house an issue of great concern to me and to the oil and gas
industry in Western Australia. As people know, or may have heard from me
before, the volume of onshore gas in Western Australia is about two and a half
times that of the volume of our gas reserves off the coast. It was very
disturbing for me to find out about this incident. In fact, I found out via ABC
television, Broome. On 6 January, the Department of Mines and Petroleum
officers were advised of a video purportedly showing a significant gas leak at
Buru's Yulleroo 2 well, which is about 80 kilometres east of Broome,
just slightly to the south. It was basically capped off and isolated by the
company while it did other evaluations and considered its options moving
forward. Of course, DMP officers quickly jumped on a plane and arrived on site
the next day to investigate the possibility of a leak of this wellhead. When
they arrived at the Yulleroo 2 site, their access was initially blocked by
protesters and obviously the police were called. Prior to the police arriving,
the protesters allowed Buru Energy Ltd and Department of Mines and Petroleum
officers to access the wellhead. Gas measurements were taken by calibrated
equipment and the officers did not find any leaking gas. That was the good
news. When they examined the wellhead installation, they found that two of the
valves were in the open position. There are other safety factors to make sure
that gas does not leak if the valve is open, but I will not go down that track.
Fortunately, no gas was escaping. However, when the officers examined the valve,
they found that the shaft had been bent and they could hear some gas leaking.
They measured the gas and, fortunately, it was not a large quantity. However,
there was visible damage to the valve. The initial inspection by DMP officers
indicated that it could have been caused only by someone wielding a very large
instrument such as a sledgehammer. Obviously, the valve has been repaired; a
new valve has been put in place and it has been checked to make sure that there
are no more leaks. The incident is being examined by the police, and Buru Energy
and DMP are cooperating with the police in their inquiries.
This is an alarming incident and shows the lengths to which
some people will go to stop proper gas and mining exploration in Western
Australia. It is okay for people to protest peacefully, but this goes well
beyond the standards that the people of Western Australia expect. I hope we get
to the bottom of this matter; and, if so, I will report back to Parliament.
outline to the house an issue of great concern to me and to the oil and gas
industry in Western Australia. As people know, or may have heard from me
before, the volume of onshore gas in Western Australia is about two and a half
times that of the volume of our gas reserves off the coast. It was very
disturbing for me to find out about this incident. In fact, I found out via ABC
television, Broome. On 6 January, the Department of Mines and Petroleum
officers were advised of a video purportedly showing a significant gas leak at
Buru's Yulleroo 2 well, which is about 80 kilometres east of Broome,
just slightly to the south. It was basically capped off and isolated by the
company while it did other evaluations and considered its options moving
forward. Of course, DMP officers quickly jumped on a plane and arrived on site
the next day to investigate the possibility of a leak of this wellhead. When
they arrived at the Yulleroo 2 site, their access was initially blocked by
protesters and obviously the police were called. Prior to the police arriving,
the protesters allowed Buru Energy Ltd and Department of Mines and Petroleum
officers to access the wellhead. Gas measurements were taken by calibrated
equipment and the officers did not find any leaking gas. That was the good
news. When they examined the wellhead installation, they found that two of the
valves were in the open position. There are other safety factors to make sure
that gas does not leak if the valve is open, but I will not go down that track.
Fortunately, no gas was escaping. However, when the officers examined the valve,
they found that the shaft had been bent and they could hear some gas leaking.
They measured the gas and, fortunately, it was not a large quantity. However,
there was visible damage to the valve. The initial inspection by DMP officers
indicated that it could have been caused only by someone wielding a very large
instrument such as a sledgehammer. Obviously, the valve has been repaired; a
new valve has been put in place and it has been checked to make sure that there
are no more leaks. The incident is being examined by the police, and Buru Energy
and DMP are cooperating with the police in their inquiries.
This is an alarming incident and shows the lengths to which
some people will go to stop proper gas and mining exploration in Western
Australia. It is okay for people to protest peacefully, but this goes well
beyond the standards that the people of Western Australia expect. I hope we get
to the bottom of this matter; and, if so, I will report back to Parliament.
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