Ventia Executive General Manager for Rig & Well Services Kyle Koziol recently spoke at the Surat Basin Energy Summit hosted by Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise.
Koziol shared the experience of servicing the energy industry across the region and the importance of engaging with local suppliers, employees and the community to support service delivery as well as ensuring a positive economic contribution.
This is a summarised version of Koziol’s presentation at the Summit.
The Surat Basin in Queensland is a global energy hub with both export and national supply derived from the region’s coal seam gas (CSG) industry. The region is also positioned to play a crucial role in Australia’s clean energy future. As new industries establish in the region, engaging with local suppliers, staff and the community will become a key enabler for success as well as providing ongoing economic and social benefits to local communities.
Regional Australia will play a key role in Australia’s energy transition, and this presents opportunity as well as potential challenges for local communities. The opportunity for employment, infrastructure and economic growth across regions is exciting but this transition needs to be managed in partnership with local communities, for it to succeed and benefit all.
The Surat Basin presents an insightful case study in how industry and local regions can co-exist as they establish and grow. The region, known as the energy capital of Queensland, has the potential to become one of the most diverse energy production regions in Australia through the transition as a site of one of the states 12 Renewable Energy Zones (REZ).
As a service provider, we have a unique perspective on some of the ways that the growth of the CSG industry across the Surat Basin has benefited the broader community in a sustainable way and what lessons new entrants can take as they establish themselves.
Investing in a local supply chain
Whatever the source of energy, local content is a critical part of helping to build a sustainable industry whilst also delivering on your commitment to community support, economic development and local capacity building.
From day one, Ventia’s Rig and Well team, originally a local business itself, has been committed to being a part of the local community. The benefits of this have been both positive for the region as well as for its business, allowing it to deliver a highly valuable service and support the growth of adjacent businesses.
For the company’s Rig and Well business, a huge part of its trade continues to be done locally. More than 70 per cent of its spend is in the Toowoomba Surat Basin area.
Over the last 10 years, Ventia’s local spend in the region has grown significantly. The company has encouraged the development of a local supply chain through focusing on opportunities to reduce lead times on overseas manufactured equipment and improve suitability for Australian conditions.
The company has partnered with local companies such as Sharpes Engineering, a family-owned business that has grown from a pipework and manufacturing facility to a leading industry supplier with certifications from overseas suppliers for critical drilling equipment that can meet the high standards of operators.
The benefits of having a locally based supplier of this calibre has been a game changer for Ventia and its service offering. This is just one of many examples of local enterprise growing and expanding in partnership with the energy industry.
Local employment
Building a local workforce is not only critical for industry in regional Australia, it also helps to build additional skills and opportunities. Ventia employs more than 300 people across the Surat and Darling Downs region, in a broad range of industries from engineering through to fire fighters. This includes more than 130 new hires in the last 12 months showing our commitment to the region.
Whilst its rigs operate nationally, most of its support functions from engineers through to finance are based locally in Toowoomba.
Community engagement
Finally, the relationship with the local community should extend beyond just the transactional one as our people live and work and are part of this region. So, it’s important to give back directly to local communities. Through the Ventia community grants program, which provides small donations to local projects and activities, we are proud to have delivered more than $342,000 to over 230 community groups across the Surat Basin, Toowoomba and Darling Downs, Gladstone and Central Queensland over the last decade.
About Koziol
Kyle Koziol is the Executive General Manager for Ventia’s Rig & Well Services business. During his time in this role, he and his team have secured a number of long-term opportunities, operated the largest workover rig fleet in Australia, drilled the deepest onshore well in Australia, and delivered the Coal Seam Gas industry’s most advanced well servicing rig, the Advantage Light Rig Extra (ALRx). Koziol holds a Bachelor of Science (Business Administration) from the University of Richmond in the United States and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
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