Chevron Australia is planning to enter front-end engineering and design studies for a fourth train at its Gorgon-Jansz LNG project in Western Australia next year.
Jim Blackwell, Chevron Australia Asia Pacific exploration and production president, told a security analyst briefing this week that sufficient gas had been found to underpin Train 4.
The current design is for an initial 3-train plant with a production capacity of 15 million tonnes/year of LNG.
A final investment decision on Train 4 is scheduled for 2013.
Blackwell added that there is sufficient space on the existing site on Barrow Island for yet another train. The company has made 10 gas discoveries off Western Australia during the last 18 months, which he says will underpin potential expansions at Gorgon-Jansz as well as at the company’s proposed Wheatstone project.
Wheatstone is currently planned as a 2-train, 10 million tpy facility. It could be expanded to a 3-train plant, or more.
At the end of 2010 Blackwell said Chevron had estimated total gas resources of 60 tcf.
In the meantime work on the $37.3 billion (Aus.) Gorgon-Jansz project is 20% complete. The onshore construction village has been completed, dredging is nearing completion, and module fabrication is progressing on schedule.
The new purpose-built drilling rig has been built and the first development well is scheduled for drilling later this year.
