Perth hosts largest APPEA Conference and Exhibition

Perth played host to the largest Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) Conference and Exhibition in history.

More than 2500 delegates attended the four-day event this month, which brought together the largest gathering of Australia’s oil and gas exploration and production industry in the southern hemisphere.

Department of Industry and Resources Director of Petroleum and Royalties Bill Tinapple said hosting the event in Perth illustrated how important the city was in Australia’s oil and gas scene.

“Normally the APPEA Conference rotates around each capital city every six years however APPEA have decided it will now come to Perth every three years,” he said.

“APPEA gets the most attendees in Perth because that’s where 70 to 80 per cent of the oil industry is located and Western Australia has two-thirds of Australia’s activity.

“WA is where the investment is, where the exploration is done and where the production comes from.  It all points towards Western Australia, the nation’s oil and gas capital.”

Mr Tinapple said the conference was attended by policy and technical experts from around the world.

The conference, which took place from April 6-9, provided delegates with the opportunity to hear from industry experts on the latest challenges and developments from an international and domestic perspective.

Now in its 48th year, the APPEA Conference and Exhibition carried the theme of, Energising Change, to highlight the role of the Australian oil and gas industry in a rapidly changing global energy environment.

World energy demand is expected to grow by at least 50-60 per cent by 2030.

The conference also highlighted the $100 billion worth of petroleum projects currently under development or in planning stages within Australia.

“Western Australia is the nation’s number one petroleum producer with 67 per cent of national crude oil and condensate production, and 69 per cent of national natural gas production in 2007,” Mr Tinapple said.

“Oil and gas are expanding industries and we need to bring new people in.

“APPEA are encouraging more young people to get into the petroleum industry.

“Essentially, the boom is on and we have a shortage of people. The critical skills shortage is one of the major themes that came out of this conference.

“If people are interested in working in the oil and gas industry in Western Australia, they should do their homework and develop skills and qualifications that are related to the industry.”

Mr Tinapple concluded that overall the conference was a huge success in Perth and provided great networking opportunities for those in the oil and gas sectors.

This year’s WA-based APPEA Conference and Exhibition attracted more than 700 attendees above the previous record.

The 2009 event will be held in Darwin from 31 May to 3 June.