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PERTH - The West Australian Government has cleared the way for environmental approval of the A$15 billion ($17.3 billion) Gorgon gas project.
Environment Minister Mark McGowan has upheld an appeal from the Gorgon partners - Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell - of the WA Environmental Protection Authority's June 2006 advisory bulletin that recommended against the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project's environmental plan.
Development of the Gorgon project hit a snag earlier this year when the WA Environmental Protection Authority failed to approve construction of a gas processing plant on Barrow Island, due to a perceived risk to the threatened flatback turtle.
McGowan said the protection plan involved an additional A$60 million commitment by Gorgon to a series of new initiatives to conserve the flatback turtle population and protect other endangered species.
Chevron is the operator and largest stakeholder in the Gorgon project, with 50 per cent, while ExxonMobil and Shell each hold 25 per cent. Chevron has estimated the greater Gorgon area to contain a gas resource in excess of 40 trillion cu ft.
- AAP
