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Growth Centre: NERA

Case study from: Growth Centres Success Stories

A project with the potential to drive over $500 million per year in operational and productivity improvements for the Australian LNG sector? The Industry Growth Centres Initiative is supporting a feasibility study for the development of an open access, small-scale LNG research facility in Western Australia.

Business in focus: Australian Centre for LNG Futures

Innovative technologies can improve the productivity and competitiveness of LNG operations. However, innovators face barriers in testing and validating these solutions, which can often only be demonstrated in a live plant environment, a historically difficult step to complete in the commercialisation process.

To address this issue, the Australian Centre for LNG Futures is developing the LNG Futures Facility, a platform to undertake research; demonstrate new technologies to enable their rapid deployment and adoption by Australian LNG producers, suppliers and consumers, providing benefits across supply chains; and train personnel to work in industrial facilities.

The Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Growth Centre, NERA, is collaborating with the University of Western Australia, Chevron, Hyundai Heavy Industries and Shell to undertake a feasibility study for this facility.

The facility will be a globally unique national, open-access resource enabling businesses and research institutions to further research and development in an accessible, purpose-built and operational environment. The facility will allow testing, demonstation, and validation of technologies, accelerating their commercialisation.

These innovations will improve the productivity and operational efficiency of the LNG sector, and produce a technology export stream—with combined benefits estimated to offer over $500 million in value to the Australian LNG industry per annum.

The Australian Centre for LNG Futures is just one of many organisations across six sectors unlocking its success with Australia’s Industry Growth Centres Initiative. If your organisation has unrealised potential, now could be your time.

"The LNG Futures Facility is central to Australia converting its endowment of natural resources into a sustainable human-resource that is based on knowledge and innovation. It will provide Australia with the ability to deliver technical leadership of the global gas industry."

– Eric May, University of Western Australia