Chevron Australia has announced that liquefied natural gas (LNG) production from the second train of the Wheatstone Project has begun.
The Wheatstone Project, located 12km west of Onslow in WA, is expected to deliver more than 300 full-time operational jobs over the next 30 years with about 50 employees and their families currently living in the area.
More than $20 billion has been spent on WA goods and services during the construction of the project, creating more than 7000 local jobs.
Western Australian Premier, Mark McGowan, welcomed the announcement.“I congratulate Chevron Australia on this important milestone for the Wheatstone Project, which secures hundreds of jobs for Western Australians into the future,” Mr McGowan said.
“This achievement is yet another sign that WA is getting back on track – the economy is improving, confidence is up and jobs are being created.”
Wheatstone has the capacity to add another 200 terajoules a day into WA’s domestic gas network when the final phase of construction, the domgas plant, comes on stream i late 2018.
The Western Australian Government’s domestic gas policy aims to secure the sState’s long-term energy needs by ensuring that LNG export project developers also make gas available to the domestic market.
In March 2018, the State Government announced plans to form a LNG Jobs Taskforce to establish Western Australia as a LNG hub, and ensure industry and government work collaboratively to maximise benefits that flow from the local LNG industry.
