(Source: Business Wire)Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) today announced that its subsidiary, Chevron Australia Pty Ltd, will proceed with the development of the Gorgon natural gas project offshore Western Australia. Development proposals for the project were approved today by the Western Australian State Premier the Hon. Colin Barnett, MLA, and production licenses were granted by the Australian Minister for Resources and Energy the Hon. Martin Ferguson AM, MP.

"With a total resource base of more than 40 trillion cubic feet of gas and an estimated economic life of at least 40 years, Gorgon will be a major contributor to our company's future growth," said Chevron Chairman Dave O'Reilly.

"Gorgon adds significant long-term reserves and production for Chevron, bolstering our strong resource replacement and underscoring the importance of Australia to our growing natural gas business," said George Kirkland, executive vice president, Global Upstream and Gas, Chevron Corporation.

The Gorgon Project, operated by the Australian subsidiary of Chevron (50 percent1) in joint venture with Australian subsidiaries of ExxonMobil (25 percent) and Shell (25 percent), is currently estimated to cost AU$43 billion (US$37 billion) for the first phase of development. First gas is planned for 2014.

The Greater Gorgon Area's projected natural gas resources are equivalent to 6.7 billion barrels of oil. The project's scope includes a three-train, 15 million-metric-ton-per-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility and a domestic gas plant.

The project underwent a rigorous and thorough environmental assessment that culminated with some of the most stringent conditions imposed on a major project anywhere in the world. The project is expected to have the world's largest carbon dioxide injection system and be a global leader in underground carbon dioxide injection technology.

Chevron Corporation is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide. The company's success is driven by the ingenuity and commitment of approximately 62,000 employees who operate across the energy spectrum. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and other energy products; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops the energy resources of the future, including biofuels and other renewables. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif.