Australia opens first hyperbaric chamber test facility to boost oil, gas sector

SYDNEY - Australia's first hyperbaric chamber test facility has been put into use in the state of Western Australia (WA), which is expected to deliver significant savings for local oil and gas companies, the state government announced on Thursday.

Built at the Australian Marine Complex in Henderson, the facility received a total funding of 1.2 million Australian dollars (about 794,652 U.S. dollars), and can be used to test subsea control modules and other sophisticated equipment.

Subsea control modules are a vital component for the offshore oil and gas industry but WA companies were forced to send them overseas for maintenance due to a lack of suitable hyperbaric test facilities.

With the new facility now operational, the state government estimated a significant decrease in testing and repair time from four months to a mere two weeks, benefiting local, national, and international companies.

"It just doesn't make sense to send parts overseas for testing, when we can do it here, creating local jobs and delivering savings for local companies.

"The opening of this testing chamber is the first step towards a regional deep water testing facility for WA --putting us at the cutting edge of the global oil and gas sector," said WA Premier Roger Cook.

The petroleum industry in Western Australia encompasses a wide range of products, such as crude oil, condensate, and liquefied natural gas.

Data from the national geoscience agency Geoscience Australia showed that in 2021, around three-quarters of all the country's oil production was from fields in offshore north-western Australia, including condensate resources produced from a few supergiant gas fields in the offshore Northern Carnarvon Basin and the neighboring Browse Basin. - XINHUA