Gas work in the pipeline: Barnett

Construction of the long-awaited Bunbury to Albany gas pipeline should start by the end of the year, according to Premier Colin Barnett.

Mr Barnett said work on the pipeline would likely be completed in two parts, with the Albany leg last to be finished.

He said the route from Bunbury to Manjimup was straightforward but there were still alternative routes to be considered on the leg to Albany.

‘‘I would hope that we might get construction on the first leg to Manjimup underway toward the end of this year,’’ he said.

‘‘There will then be an expression of interest to involve private sector participation in the pipeline, that will probably happen around April.’’

Mr Barnett said once under way the pipeline would be built very quickly, but declined to provide a firm timeframe.

The Premier said the pipeline was not dependent on Grange Resources, which the State Government had pushed as a potential baseload user of the pipeline for its proposed Southdown iron ore project at Wellstead.

‘‘It would be good if Grange were using natural gas, but the pipeline is not dependent on them,’’ Mr Barnett said.

‘‘There are other potential residential and industrial users of the pipeline along the way.’’