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FULFILLING
FUTURE
POTENTIAL
The goal is always to employ local people first but with a
workforce requirement of this size, we need to look across
the Nullarbor to attract workers from the east coast and over
the oceans for skilled migrants.
The resources sector is experiencing a skills shortage, not
a labour shortage. The priority must be to build a construction
workforce that has the skills, qualifications and experience
to satisfy the comprehensive occupational health and safety
requirements that make us the leaders in workplace safety.
I recently travelled to the United Kingdom and Ireland
on an industry delegation led by Training and Workforce
Development Minister Peter Collier. Resource companies are
interested in workers from the UK and Ireland because of
the quality of education and training and common language.
People from these countries make excellent employees and
enjoy our lifestyle and culture.
Apart from the critical need for people, CME’s State
Growth Outlook also identified the growth in electricity
consumption to jump substantially. The drive of projects in
the resource sector could see total electricity consumption
in Western Australia increase by as much as 70% (on 2009
levels) by 2015.
Electricity prices have risen sharply in the last 18 months
and are set to further increase over the coming years through
the cost of new generation capacity, demand growth and
carbon pricing.
Sector demand over this period (to 2015) is expected to
increase by 18,800 Gigawatt hour (GWh) – and to 27,000
GWh by 2020. More than 80% of this demand will be self-
generated – most of which will be fuelled by domestic gas.
Energy planning must align with broader infrastructure
planning and CME is advocating for the development of
State Energy Initiative and associated institutional reform.
Further, the development of a State Infrastructure Plan to
cover all enabling infrastructure should be an essential body
of work for our industry to push.
Total water demand in WA is expected to increase from
2,500 gigalitres per annum (GL/a) in 2009 to 3,820 GL/a
by 2020. Additional water use by the sector is expected to
reach 422 GL/a above 2009 demand levels by 2015. Most of
this water will be self-extracted.
The majority of the additional minerals and energy water
use in the state will be located in the Pilbara, with a growth
rate of 13% per annum over the period to 2015. Other high
growth areas include the mid-west (5% per annum growth)
and the Perth/Peel region (9% annum growth).
In addition to increased collaboration, exploring
technology and innovative solutions within the industry
are necessary to address future water demands.
Despite these challenges, the future of the WA resources
sector is very strong with more than $200 billion worth
of projects either under construction or consideration.
It is an extraordinary opportunity to not only build
Western Australia but benefit our nation as a whole.
REQUIRESWISDOMFROMTHE PAST
CHRISTIAN FLETCHER, SALT FLATS, DAMPIER-KARRATHA, 2010
MINESITE 2011
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