Ausenco has formed an alliance with South African-based water treatment specialist Proxa, to provide specialist solutions for the coal seam gas (CSG) industry in Queensland. Ausenco CEO Zimi Meka said the alliance was established to provide sustainable and innovative solutions for the treatment, handling and beneficial use of water extracted from coal seams in Queensland.
“Through the Ausenco-Proxa Water Alliance, we are able to provide a unique service offering to the local CSG industry, combining Proxa’s many years of water treatment design, construction and operations experience and Ausenco’s local coal footprint, project delivery track record and asset management capability,” he said. “Industry predicts approximately 126 gigalitres to 280 gigalitres of water will be produced from Queensland’s CSG industry each year once the CSG/LNG projects enter production in 2014. “This alliance, with its world-class offering and experience in delivery across the full project lifecycle, puts us in a strong position to offer and develop ingenious solutions for our CSG clients. Through our alliance’s tried and tested technologies, we can return high yields of quality water from CSG extraction – providing a valuable resource for environment, agricultural and industrial use.”
Proxa CEO Elie Sakhat said he believed the water challenges and client base in Southern Africa and Australia had a number of similarities and the alliance’s expertise would provide a valuable offering to the Australian market. “The Ausenco-Proxa offering is unique because it involves a number of different treatment options to manage water produced from CSG extraction – not just one,” he said. “For example, Proxa’s track record in advanced desalination can contribute to developing sustainable and cost-effective water treatment solutions for the CSG and other resource sectors in Australia. Our combined services allow us to offer a full lifecycle solution, from initial test work and R&D through to design, supply installation and operation, to find the most economically viable methods for our clients to manage their water issues. Like Ausenco, Proxa is known for its ingenuity and utilises novel approaches to provide integrated solutions utilising world-leading process technology, including membrane systems, to deliver the best and most viable treatment solutions for our clients.”
Meka said Ausenco delivered consulting work involving studying ground water for a key CSG project in Queensland in 2011 and the Proxa joint venture was a good fit for both companies. “We are confident this alliance will contribute to the effective development of water management solutions in Queensland’s booming CSG industry,” he said. “Proxa has extensive experience in build, own, operate (BOO) projects and we are keen to explore opportunities to utilise this model in the delivery of water treatment solutions for Queensland’s CSG projects. “With Proxa’s experience in water treatment options for mining activity, particularly coal, we also see strong opportunities further down the track to provide water solutions to Australia’s mining sector.” The alliance will commence immediately and Proxa will mobilise key personnel to Queensland to work with Ausenco’s team already on the ground.