• Tweet
• Sharebar

• Tweet

Australia, August 27, 2009 – The AUD $50 billion Gorgon liquefied natural gas project just cleared its last major regulatory hurdle on Wednesday with the Australian environment ministry giving it the go signal.

The approval would bring forth Australia’s largest resources development. It will be a joint project between Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil. According to Chevron, the decision will be made in the coming months once approval is secured from Australia’s energy minister for production licenses and development approval.

The project is expected to generate 15 million tones per annum from three production trains and a gas plant. It is projected to create 6,000 new jobs. Chevron has not yet announced an estimated cost for the project, but Australian government officials have put the cost at about AUD $50 billion

Additionally, the federal government already approved the project for Barrow Island off west Australia, but approval is subject to protection of local fauna like the endangered flatback turtle.

“Clearly I’m aware of the economic size of this proposal, but the specific matter I had to decide was whether or not this proposal would have an adverse affect, particularly on threatened or listed species,” said Environment Minister Peter Garrett. “I have determined that it won’t.”

Garrett set 28 new conditions, focused on monitoring a number of species on the island.

Source:
nytimes.com