APACHE Energy says partial production from the Varanus Island gas processing plant will resume ahead of the 15 August deadline.
The company says an initial production rate of 120Tj per day will available to customers.
The Varanus plant handles around 30% of Western Australia’s domestic natural gas requirements and supplies to companies like BHP-Billiton, Rio Tinto, Newcrest Mining and Alumina.
Many customers were forced to temporarily close down some operations or find alternative fuel sources. The food industry also had problems with maintaining perishable goods.
West Australian Chamber of Commerce says the 3 June explosion has drained about $2.4b from the economy. The State Government was also forced to launch a public bulletin board in order to combat profiteering and price gouging.
The company claims full production levels of 350Tj per day will resume by the end of 2008.
WA Premier Alan Carpenter has welcomed the news, but warned he may launch a Royal Commission into the incident.
A report from the National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority will be released in September. The Premier says he will take the report’s findings into account before deciding if further investigation is warranted.
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