WA Regional Development Minister Brendon Grylls said Chevron Australia would use the facility to support operations for its giant Gorgon project off the state’s northwest coast.He added the state government was committed to supporting visionary projects that would generate wealth for the state’s economy, and the Gorgon project – based on Australia’s largest-known natural gas resource – was certainly one of these.The service and supply base will be developed by LandCorp and will feature a service wharf to accommodate roll-on/roll-off vessels, along with a 4.4 hectare staging area located within the AMC Common User Facility.“This is a strategic move by Chevron Australia to minimise the potential impact of the project on Barrow Island and reduce the amount of transport on the roads,” Grylls said.“By securing service bases and wharf facilities at the AMC, the company can deliver significant amounts of equipment by sea, which will substantially reduce the number of road trains required to service the Gorgon project.”He added the new facility at the AMC would further develop WA’s offshore marine services industry and that along with other infrastructure, such as the 99m floating dock that is nearing completion, would “place WA at the forefront of oil and gas development long into the future”.Construction of the service and supply base is expected to commence in the second half of this year and is due to be completed by early 2010.
