Japanese oil and gas firm Inpex and French partner Total have opened a new training centre at the Inpex gas plant in Darwin.

The new centre will provide training in a range of sectors, said Northern Territories minister Paul Henderson.

"It is going to be a significant feeder, particularly into the apprenticeship programme that Inpex want to see running through the life of the construction of this plant," he told Australian media group ABC.

Greg Constantine, from the Larrakia Development Corporation, added that the group will aim to graduate around 600 students from the facility this year.

Inpex announced plans to build the AU$12 billion liquid natural gas plant in 2008, with the company anticipating to create around 2,000 local jobs during the construction phase and 300 permanent positions.

The plant is due to come on stream later this year, with expectations that it will bring around $50 billion to the regional economy over the next two decades.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development