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Chevron Eyes Carbon Offset Projects in Australia

Chevron Eyes Carbon Offset Projects in Australia

 

Chevron Corporation is investing in two lower carbon projects in Western Australia (WA) through its subsidiaries Chevron Australia New Energies Pty Ltd and Chevron Australia Pty Ltd.

Chevron will fund Western Australia-based Carbon Sync, an agricultural education and extension service provider specializing in soil carbon farming project development. Carbon Sync is leading a soil carbon sequestration pilot project involving up to 80,000 hectares of the region’s cropping and grazing region. The project is Chevron’s first nature-based carbon offset project in the country, the company said in a news release Friday.

“I am thrilled that a large multinational organization has recognized the potential of Carbon Sync to change the carbon equation for WA’s agricultural industry, as well as create jobs and further investment for our state”, Carbon Sync Founder and CEO Louise Edmonds said. “Through these pilot projects, we aim to enhance the sustainability of WA’s agricultural sector and improve biodiversity outcomes”.

Chevron has also joined a multiyear research project with Deakin University’s Blue Carbon Lab to explore potential carbon dioxide sequestration opportunities in the region’s coastal wetlands. The Blue Carbon Lab offers “innovative research solutions aiding to help mitigate climate change and enhance our blue economy, while simultaneously supporting aquatic biodiversity, economic growth, capacity building, and community wellbeing”, according to the news release.

“There’s been great mystery into the size of WA’s blue carbon assets and the potential for new blue carbon opportunities through the conservation and restoration of coastal wetlands. This research project seeks to address this knowledge gap”, Blue Carbon Lab Director and Professor Peter Macreadie said.

“The two projects we are part of in WA are examples of the multiple pathways on that lower carbon journey”, Chevron Australia General Manager for Energy Transition David Fallon said. “Our collaboration with Carbon Sync is expected to provide critical insights related to soil carbon projects, in a region with large potential for scale to help meet the forecasted demand for Australian Carbon Credit Units”.

“With the Blue Carbon Lab contribution, we are excited to explore the opportunities for blue carbon in WA’s saltmarsh, mangrove, and seagrass environments”, Fallon added.

“We believe that the future of energy is lower carbon”, Chevron New Energies Vice President of Offsets and Emerging Barbara Harrison said. “Australia is not only an essential part of Chevron’s established portfolio, but we also see tremendous potential to develop businesses that help achieve our lower carbon aspirations”.

Thevenard Island Decommissioning Completed

In an earlier news release, Chevron Australia said it has completed onshore decommissioning work at Thevenard Island, “marking a significant milestone for Western Australia’s emerging decommissioning industry”.

The Chevron-operated Thevenard Island Joint Venture oil and gas facility, located around 13.7 miles (22 kilometers) from Onslow, produced approximately 150 million barrels of oil over its 25-year lifespan until 2014. The area will be returned to the WA Government once it is restored to a condition similar to and compatible with the adjacent environment, Chevron said.

Chevron Australia said the decommissioning process involved the plugging of 11 onshore production wells, three water disposal wells, one exploration well and the safe dismantling and removal of three 150,000-barrel oil storage tanks in addition to production tanks, separator vessels, flowlines, associated process infrastructure and ancillary accommodation facilities and utilities including the controlled toppling of the 124.7-foot (38-meter) communications tower. In total, the project resulted in the removal of more than 5,000 metric tons of scrap metal from the island for recycling.

Meanwhile, the decommissioning of the Chevron Australia-operated Barrow Island Joint Venture oil facility and associated infrastructure on Barrow Island is expected to start in 2025.

Chevron Australia’s Director of Operations Danny Woodall said that decommissioning is a growing industry that provides economic opportunities as assets enter the later stages of their lifecycles. “Decommissioning is an enormous economic opportunity that will grow as existing assets enter the later stages of their lifecycles”, Woodall said.

“The Thevenard Island Retirement Project is an example of Chevron’s commitment to progressing decommissioning and rehabilitation activities in a systematic and timely manner to deliver positive outcomes for the environment and local community,” Chevron Australia’s Thevenard Island Retirement Project Manager Chris Jones said.

Liberty Industrial’s General Manager Barry Crossey added that the Thevenard Island project “set a new benchmark for transforming end-of-life sites into rehabilitated areas, that can be carried through to future projects in the region and further afield”.

Chevron Australia engaged several contractors including Liberty Industrial, AGC, Bhagwan Marine, TAMS Group, Golder Associates, and Astron Environmental Services to assist with the decommissioning process, according to the release.

Published: 15-08-2023

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