Offshore staff
PERTH, Western Australia — Chevron Australia will contribute a combined A$38 million (US$26.3 million) to carbon capture and storage (CCS) research projects in Western Australia and Victoria, advancing knowledge of the critical emissions technology for a lower carbon future.
Of the total contribution, A$22 million (US$15.2 million) has been committed to the Barrow Dampier CCS Regional Study, which is led by SLB, and supports a 3D seismic and storage assessment to identify new CCS opportunities in the Carnarvon Basin offshore Western Australia.
Chevron Australia has also committed A$16 million (US$11 million) to support development of new infrastructure at the Otway International Test Centre in Victoria. The project, which is managed by Australian CCS research organization, CO2CRC, will enable testing of CO2 migration and validation of new modeling techniques that could improve storage processes in future CCS projects.
Chevron Australia general manager asset development, Michelle LaPoint, said, “Chevron has decades of operational experience, a proven track record of carbon-capture projects and is already deploying CCS technologies in locations across the globe, including at Gorgon in Western Australia, one of the world’s largest integrated CCS projects."
CO2CRC CEO Dr. Matthias Raab welcomed Chevron’s investment, stating, “The funding provided by Chevron, a Foundation Member of CO2CRC, ensures that The Otway International Test Centre remains as critical national research infrastructure for applied research into CCS, an essential low-emission technology that will support Australia’s energy transition toward net zero."
When completed, the two projects will satisfy Chevron’s expenditure commitments under a Good Standing Agreement entered into by Chevron Australia and the Joint Authority for the Commonwealth/South Australia offshore area with respect to exploration permits EPP44 and EPP45 in the Great Australian Bight.
In September 2022, Chevron Australia announced it became part of three joint ventures that have been granted an interest in three greenhouse-gas assessment permits offshore Australia. The blocks, including two in the Carnarvon Basin and one in the Bonaparte Basin (offshore Northern Territory), total more than 31,500 sq km or nearly 7.8 million acres—an area larger than Belgium.
That same month Santos secured permits from the conduct evaluation and appraisal work for the potential storage of CO2 offshore Western Australia. The company has a 50% operated share of the G-9-AP permit in the Carnarvon Basin, covering an area of 3,589 sq km, in partnership with Chevron Australia (50%). As for the 26,239-sq-km G-11-AP permit in the Bonaparte Basin, Santos Offshore operates with 40% supported by Chevron Australia (30%) and SK E&S (30%).
02.09.2023
