Chevron has awarded a long-term master contract for maintenance work from the Gorgon and Wheatstone natural gas facilities in Western Australia to Ventia, in a boon for the region.
The contract will support maintenance works at the facilities, boosting the local economy and providing around 700 local jobs to Western Australia's essential resources sector.
In a big win for local workers, Dean Banks, Ventia Group Chief Executive Officer, said: "It is Ventia's intention to fill as many of these roles as possible from local, regional, and Western Australian candidates."
The contract is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2021 and run for 10 years, ensuring an ongoing scope of works to drive economic growth and prosperity in the region.
Ventia has also committed to sourcing around 50% of subcontractors from local regional businesses, including First Nations-owned businesses. There will also be training and apprenticeship opportunities, supporting the next generation of industry talent as they take up the mantle of a statewide economic driver.
APPEA Western Australian Director Claire Wilkinson said the exciting contract announcement is another example of the oil and gas industry supporting local workers and driving the state's economy.
"Gas means local jobs, gas means economic prosperity for WA and gas means lower emissions. These 700 jobs are on top of the 80,000 direct and indirect jobs - and hundreds of thousands of Australian jobs that rely on the reliable, affordable and sustainable supply of oil and gas."
The Wheatstone and Gorgon facilities are among the world's largest resources projects and have had a transformative effect on the Western Australia economy, including more than $60 billion in investment and nearly 1,000 contracts with local businesses. Once they reach full capacity, they will be capable of producing 500 terajoules of domestic gas each day, a figure accounting for roughly half of state supply.
These latest contracts represent the next step in Western Australia's journey as the nation's premier liquefied natural gas (LNG) hub. In 2019, a year when Australia pipped Qatar as the world's largest LNG producer, Western Australia was responsible for 57% of Australia's 77.4 million tonnes of export production.
A Chevron representative said that Gorgon and Wheatstone continued to underpin local opportunities for communities and businesses in the region.
"Through meaningful collaboration, we are building a stronger industry and a more prosperous state led by technology, innovation and skills development," the spokesperson said.
