Major new alliance for oil and gas research

Three of Western Australia's major research institutions have formed a united energy research partnership intended to benefit the operations of the global oil and gas industry with leading-edge practical research.

CSIRO Petroleum Chief, Dr Beverley Ronalds, says that the new Alliance will reverse the current trend for much research and development funding to go offshore, by keeping world-class skills, research and funding in Australia.

The WA Energy Alliance formally came into being on Monday 8 September with the signing of the agreement between The University of Western Australia (UWA), CSIRO's Division of Petroleum and Curtin University of Technology.

"The Alliance is strongly supported by the Australian oil and gas industry," says Dr Ronalds. "It will provide premium quality research and development and services, aimed at developing technology-based solutions for the global energy sector."

Dr Ronalds says the Alliance will enable the key research organisations to share knowledge, skills and facilities in areas such as sub-surface technology, drilling and wells, offshore facilities and energyscience.

International and Australian companies have already made approaches to become closely involved.

"The Alliance is intended to become one of the top research clusters in the world," says Dr Ronalds. "It is strategically based in Western Australia, the nation's biggest oil and gas producer, delivering more than 50% of Australia's total output.

"This agreement produces a critical mass of experts with an understanding of the unique issues in our part of the world," Dr Ronalds says. "We will work with our industry partners to deliver solutions, not just good science, because the Alliance won't just be a research provider. We want to see our technologies deployed in practice where they are really adding value.

"Furthermore, this is not just an alliance between oil and gas research groups but a unique conduit for the powerful multi-disciplinary knowledge in the three institutions to focus on energy issues."

Item provided courtesy of CSIRO