Chevron notes cooperation of Australian government

A Chevron Corp. executive vice-president for upstream and gas, told a meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation members that Asian governments need to promote policies to expand and diversity energy resources, especially natural gas.

Speaking at the APEC meeting in Singapore on Nov. 12, Kirkland cited Australia as a good example.

In September, Chevron and partners agreed to proceed with the $40 billion Gorgon LNG and upstream project off Australia.

“Gorgon will supply natural gas into the Asia-Pacific region as well as Australia domestically—with half the carbon footprint of coal,” Kirkland said. “Gas from Gorgon will significantly help expand and diversity the Asia-Pacific region’s energy supplies.”

Australia also worked with Chevron to support a carbon capture and sequestration component of Gorgon, Kirkland noted.

“Australia got it right with natural gas, a resource whose time has come,” he said.

He credits Australia's state and federal government officials with aggressively fostering policies and a political environment providing stable legal frameworks, predictable fiscal and tax regimes, and contact sanctity.