GE Launches New Subsea Workshop in Oz

GE has officially opened a new oil and gas facility in Broome, Western Australia, specifically designed to service subsea projects.

The regional facility will support the offshore installation phase of the INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG project, which includes local support for the preparation, storage and routine maintenance of subsea equipment supplied by GE Oil & Gas.

“The establishment of the Broome facility represents an exciting milestone for our business in Australia,” said Mary Hackett, GE Oil & Gas Regional Director for Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. “We are proud to be able to provide customers a solution that will mean better and more efficient operational and maintenance support for crucial offshore LNG development. It is great to deliver that excellence as part of the Broome community.”

“This facility has been built by locals, it is supported by local businesses and services, and the GE team members live in Broome. As part of the community, we look forward to providing year-round support to our customers during project development and ongoing operations,” Hackett said.

“GE has invested more than $800 million in infrastructure to support energy and power generation projects in Australia since 2005,” said Geoff Culbert, President and CEO GE Australia and New Zealand. “The Broome facility is another example of GE’s commitment to delivering real solutions to our customers, and where they need them.”

GE has employed a team of seven who work at the custom-built workshop facility located in the Blue Haze Industrial Estate in Broome North. The facility includes approximately 500 sqm of warehouse, 120 sqm of office space and 4000 sqm of equipment hardstand area. Following a comprehensive open tender, construction was awarded to Broome based contractor, H&M Tracey Construction Pty Ltd. H&M Tracey is proudly a majority Indigenous owned company.

Construction of the facility was completed in December 2014 and the Broome GE team has already dispatched the first equipment to support the commencement of the first well in the Ichthys field in late January. The Broome location was chosen for its proximity to the offshore operations and to complement INPEX’s existing offshore support infrastructure in Broome. INPEX also has dedicated office space at the new GE facility.

Throughout its operation, GE said, it will continue to utilise local services and suppliers where possible. The new facility will work in conjunction with GE’s established operations in Jandakot, south of Perth.