ENSW General Manager, Peter Mitchley and Narrabri Operations Manager, Todd Dunn in the field with Santos CEO, Kevin Gallagher (centre)
Santos’ new Chief Executive Kevin Gallagher has reiterated his commitment to progressing the Narrabri Gas Project, saying he will be working hard to make the project successful.
Mr Gallagher who travelled to Narrabri last week to visit the field and meet with staff and community members, said Santos needs new development opportunities like Narrabri.
“It doesn’t matter what I do with the current portfolio, we need new projects. And so projects like the Narrabri project are really important to us,” Mr Gallagher said.
Santos’ Narrabri Gas Project could supply up to 50% of NSW gas needs and create more than 1200 jobs during construction and 200 ongoing positions.
Mr Gallagher who made the flying visit to Narrabri only five weeks after joining the company, said he is currently considering the best way to progress the project.
“It’s about me understanding the project and understanding what we need to do to make the project work from a community and economic perspective. I need to be confident that we have done the work through the Environmental Impact Statement, to allow the project to be successful.
“It’s been great to visit Narrabri and I’ve certainly been very impressed with the high standard of the operations and the calibre of staff we have here.
“It has also been good to meet with some community members, councillors and local contractors.
“I am pleased to see there is a level of support for Santos in Narrabri.”
Mr Gallagher began his career as an apprentice mechanic at a whisky distillery in Scotland and boasts an impressive resume that includes international oil and gas experience with Mobil, running the massive North West Shelf Liquefied Natural Gas venture for Woodside Petroleum and most recently, working as CEO of Engineering and Construction contractor Clough.