Fair Work Commission

Overview

Member allocated to this project is Commissioner Williams.

In late 2011, Chevron Australia began construction of the $29 billion Wheatstone Project, located 12 kilometres west of Onslow on the Pilbara coast of Western Australia.

The foundation project will consist of two liquefied natural gas (LNG) trains with a combined capacity of 8.9 million tonnes per annum, plus a 200 terajoules per day domestic gas plant.

The project has approval to expand to 25 million tonnes per annum of LNG, with first LNG expected in 2016.

Upstream offshore facilities

Offshore facilities will gather and partially process gas and associated condensate and deliver it onshore for further processing. Key offshore components include:

• well infrastructure and subsea installations
• gas processing platform in 73 m of water
• 225 km trunkline to transport gas from the platform to the onshore facilities at Ashburton North.

Downstream onshore facilities

Once onshore at Ashburton North, the gas and condensate will be processed further. Key onshore components include:

• slug-catcher to separate the gas and liquids
• initial two-train LNG processing plant
• domestic gas processing plant and pipeline connecting to the Dampier-to-Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline
• LNG and condensate storage
• marine facilities including a shipping channel, turning basin, Materials Offloading Facility (MOF) and export jetty
• workforce accommodation village and associated infrastructure at Ashburton North.

Project participants

Chevron is leading the Wheatstone Project on behalf of its joint venture participants Apache Corporation (Apache), Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC), Shell and Kyushu Electric Power Company (Kyushu).

Chevron holds a 64.14 per cent interest in the onshore foundation project together with Apache (13%), TEPCO (8%), KUFPEC (7%), Shell (6.4%) and Kyushu (1.46%). Eighty per cent of the Wheatstone Project's foundation capacity will be fed with natural gas from the Wheatstone and Iago fields, which are operated by Chevron (80.17%) in a joint venture with TEPCO (10%), Shell (8%) and Kyushu (1.83%). The remaining 20 per cent of gas will be supplied from the Apache and KUFPEC Julimar and Brunello fields.

Local benefits

The Wheatstone Project is expected to be an important pillar of the Australian economy for decades to come. It's one of Australia's largest resource projects, and will offer significant benefits including:

• an estimated 6500 direct and indirect jobs at peak construction*
• $20 billion in government revenue* and
• more than A$17 billion to Australian businesses and services*.

In addition, the project has established a $250 million social infrastructure fund, which includes upgrading community facilities, education and health services and roads and water infrastructure.

Environmental stewardship

Chevron strives for world's best practice in environmental management and stewardship. The Wheatstone Project has undergone a rigorous and thorough environmental assessment which has culminated in some of the most stringent conditions imposed on a project anywhere in the world.

Where does the name Wheatstone come from?

The name Wheatstone comes from the Wheatstone Channel in the Montebello Islands, an archipelago of 174 small islands 130 km off the Pilbara coast. The Montebello Islands are about 25 km north of Barrow Island and 95 km south of the Wheatstone gas field.

Further information can be found in the following documents:

• Wheatstone Overview (PDF)
• Wheatstone Upstream (PDF)
• Wheatstone Downstream (PDF)

* According to ACIL Tasman data based on the Wheatstone foundation project over the first 30 years.