Chevron Announces Extension of Partnership in Gas Processing Research
PERTH, Western Australia, 9 December 2011 – Chevron today signed a major partnership agreement with The University of Western Australia (UWA), elevating the existing Chair in Gas Process Engineering (GPE) from a three to five year fixed term agreement to endow the Chair in perpetuity.
The $5.75 million investment over five years is part of Chevron’s global University Partnership Program which partners with universities around the world to foster academic excellence, research capacity and to build key relationships.
Chevron Australia managing director Roy Krzywosinski welcomed the decision and said the endowment boosted the company’s partnership with UWA and would help shape Perth as a gas technology centre of excellence.
“This builds on Chevron’s continuing investment in the industry’s research and development and reflects the company’s commitment to developing its world class gas assets located in North Western Australia.,” Krzywosinski said.
The new elevated Chair will support UWA in establishing a teaching laboratory for chemical engineering and a laboratory for natural gas research at the Australian Resources Research Centre. It will also help develop an LNG operator training program, extend student recruitment programs beyond Western Australia and offer between three and six secondments of UWA’s GPE academic staff to Chevron. The endowment will allow the GPE Chair to continue in perpetuity after Chevron’s initial five year investment.
Krzywosinski added, “The endowment will ensure long-term strategic leadership at UWA’s Centre for Energy. The Chair, Professor Eric May, and his research team will expand the impact of the Centre’s research programs through interdisciplinary collaboration, education, and outreach as well as development, testing, and deployment of advanced natural gas production and processing technologies.”
Chevron’s Energy Technology Company president Paul Siegele said the announcement would strengthen the work of Chevron’s Global Technology Centre which opened in Perth in 2007.
“Our Global Technoogy Centre provides value-adding research, development and technical support for the company’s Asia Pacific and worldwide operations and endowing the Chair in perpetuity adds to this effort,” Siegele said.
Chevron signed the initial partnership agreement with UWA in 2008 and committed to investing $2.3 million over three years to fund a new Chair, two postdoctoral appointments and two PhD scholarships in gas process engineering at UWA.
Chevron is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies and through its Australian subsidiaries, has been present in Australia for almost 60 years. With the ingenuity and commitment of about 3,000 people, Chevron Australia leads the development of the Gorgon and Wheatstone natural gas projects; manages its equal one-sixth interest in the North West Shelf Venture; and operates Australia’s largest onshore oilfield on Barrow Island and the Thevenard Island oilfields. The company is also a participant in the Browse liquefied natural gas development and is a significant investor in exploration offshore northwest Australia.
In addition, Chevron’s Perth-based Global Technology Centre provides technology support and solutions to the company’s operations in Australia and around the world. www.chevronaustralia.com.
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