The partners in the giant Gorgon gas project off the coast of western Australia will seek approval to add a third processing plant to boost production of liquefied natural gas (LNG), Chevron Corp said yesterday.
The partners -- Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Exxon Mobil Corp -- this year won approval to build two 5 million tonnes a year LNG processing plants, or trains, on Western Australia state's remote Barrow Island, but will now seek approval for a third, taking total output to 15 million tonnes a year.
"Developing three LNG production trains in quick succession improves project economics and addresses mounting industry cost pressures," said Scott Walker, a Chevron spokesman.
The Gorgon partners plan to submit an environmental assessment for the third train to the state's Environmental Protection Authority in early 2008.
The third train will be built within the approved 300-hectare development sight for the project and Chevron said it expects very little change to the environmental impact of the project.
Chevron said in the next 12 months the partners would work to secure approvals, commence front-end engineering and design work and boost the project team with the possibility of early works on Barrow Island.
Australia's federal government defied opposition from conservation groups and the state environment agency and approved the project, despite concerns that it will disturb the habitat of an endangered species of marine turtle.
Separately, Haiti is seeking a contract with Chevron to ship Venezuelan oil purchased under President Hugo Chavez's discount fuel program, a government official said on Sunday.
Haiti joined Chavez's Petrocaribe initiative more than a year ago, but has been unable to transport or receive any oil shipments so far, said Michael Lecorps, director of the aid management office in charge of implementing the program.
An agreement with Chevron to ship the oil from Venezuela to Haiti would allow the fuel-starved nation to import 14,000 barrels of oil a day, he said.
Under Petrocaribe's financing terms, Haiti would have three months to pay for 60 percent of each oil shipment, and 25 years to pay the balance at 1 percent interest, officials said.
BACK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The planned transit by the ‘Baden-Wuerttemberg’ and the ‘Frankfurt am Main’ would be the German Navy’s first passage since 2002 Two German warships are set to pass through the Taiwan Strait in the middle of this month, becoming the first German naval vessels to do so in 22 years, Der Spiegel reported on Saturday. Reuters last month reported that the warships, the frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and the replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main, were awaiting orders from Berlin to sail the Strait, prompting a rebuke to Germany from Beijing. Der Spiegel cited unspecified sources as saying Beijing would not be formally notified of the German ships’ passage to emphasize that Berlin views the trip as normal. The German Federal Ministry of Defense declined to comment. While
‘REGRETTABLE’: TPP lawmaker Vivian Huang said that ‘we will continue to support Chairman Ko and defend his innocence’ as he was transferred to a detention facility The Taipei District Court yesterday ruled that Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be detained and held incommunicado over alleged corruption dating to his time as mayor of Taipei. The ruling reversed a decision by the court on Monday morning that Ko be released without bail. After prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the Monday decision, the High Court said that Ko had potentially been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Ko did not speak to reporters upon his arrival at the district court at about 9:10am yesterday to attend a procedural
‘UPHOLDING PEACE’: Taiwan’s foreign minister thanked the US Congress for using a ‘creative and effective way’ to deter Chinese military aggression toward the nation The US House of Representatives on Monday passed the Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act, aimed at deterring Chinese aggression toward Taiwan by threatening to publish information about Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials’ “illicit” financial assets if Beijing were to attack. The act would also “restrict financial services for certain immediate family of such officials,” the text of the legislation says. The bill was introduced in January last year by US representatives French Hill and Brad Sherman. After remarks from several members, it passed unanimously. “If China chooses to attack the free people of Taiwan, [the bill] requires the Treasury secretary to publish the illicit
The Executive Yuan yesterday warned against traveling to or doing business in China after reports that Beijing is recruiting Taiwanese to help conceal the use of forced Uighur labor. The government is aware that Taiwan-based influencers and businesses are being asked to make pro-Beijing content and offered incentives to invest in the region, Executive Yuan acting spokeswoman Julia Hsieh (謝子涵) told a news conference. Taiwanese are urged to be aware of the potential personal and reputational harm by visiting or operating businesses in China, Hsieh said, adding that agencies are fully apprised of the situation. A national security official said that former Mainland
RSS