Since its discovery in 1964, the Barrow Island oil field has yielded more than 300 million barrels of oil and delivered more than $1 billion in revenue to the Western Australian community.
Oil production on the island started in April 1967 – peaking at 50,000 barrels per day in 1971.
According to independent economic modelling by ACIL Tasman, planned construction of the Gorgon natural gas project on the island is expected to provide a further $64 billion boost to Australia’s gross domestic product, create thousands of jobs and more than $33 billion in local supplier opportunities.
The project also is expected to generate a substantial contribution (taxes) to State and Federal governments for use on important services, such as roads, schools and hospitals. Gorgon also includes a domestic natural gas capability – providing more energy security for Western Australia.
Today, more than 700 Chevron Australia employees and contractors are assigned to work on Barrow Island and rotate on and off the island in 14-day shifts.
Using Technology to Produce Long-Term Energy Supplies
Over time oil production has become more difficult, and today about 9,000 barrels per day are produced.
To help arrest declining production, water is now injected into the underground oil reservoir to sweep it toward production wells.
Significantly, despite drilling more than 900 wells and lifting over 10,000 cargoes during that time, the island's ecosystem has remained essentially intact. We put this down to our environmental commitment on the island and passion for carrying out our business the right way, The Chevron Way.