Q. What is the lifespan of the Gorgon Project?
A. The lifespan of the project is expected to be a minimum of 40 years. The construction phase for the project is expected to last up to five years, with first gas expected to commence in 2014.
Q. How many people will the project directly and indirectly employ?
A. Based on independent research the Gorgon, JV participants have estimated that Gorgon will create some 3500 jobs directly during construction, most of them located on Barrow Island.
Direct and indirect employment is expected to peak at about 10,000 during construction, including indirect jobs for suppliers, contractors and service industries.
Q. I want to work on Gorgon, what local opportunities exist and how do I get involved?
A. You can check out jobs related to Gorgon on the careers section of the Chevron Australia website.
In addition, an online recruitment portal for construction jobs on the Gorgon Project will be launched in the near future. You will be able to register your interest in working on the Gorgon Project or against specific job vacancies.
Alternatively, visit Project Connect and look under 'Current Opportunities' on the left hand side of your screen. This will allow you to see all the tenders that are out there and as they are awarded, the company that has won the tender and therefore you would be able to contact the relevant companies that may be relevant to yourself for employment opportunities.
Q. What opportunities are there for local suppliers?
A. Local suppliers are encouraged to register their details with the Gorgon Project through Project Connect which is utilised by the Industry Capability Network WA – ICNWA. Project Connect provides the Gorgon Project instant access to an electronic library of suppliers against project requirements, either at the first or second tier.
Q. What is your commitment to regional businesses?
A. The Gorgon Project is committed to providing full, fair and reasonable opportunity for Australian industry to supply goods and services to the Project.
The Project will always consider, and where possible preference, the use of Australian labour, services and materials when price, quality, delivery and service are equal to or better than other alternatives. Part of this process is a focus on regional business opportunities.
Q. What practices do you have in place to ensure Australian Industry Participant (AIP) is delivered?
A. Our AIP policy outlines our key commitments to ensure that local content opportunities for local contractors are realised. This includes utilising ICNWA and the ProjectConnect website to fully assess and inform Australian industry, as well as the ePilbara website to provide a focus on Pilbara industry capability.
Our commitment is demonstrated by the Gorgon Australian Industry Participation Policy.
Q. Given you are building on Barrow Island, what other opportunities are available?
A: We have already established a supply base at Mermaid Marine’s facility in King Bay, Dampier, which will have significant throughput. All our major contractors are required to make efforts to procure from the Pilbara region where practicable.
Q. How important is safety at Chevron?
A. Safety is paramount. Everything we do is based on two principles
- Do it safely or not at all
- There is always time to do it right
Anyone at Chevron, no matter how junior, is authorized and expected to stop what they consider an unsafe work practice. Doing that can often cost the company many thousands of dollars in lost production, but if the employee acts in good faith in making that call, they are acknowledged and rewarded for their actions.
Q. Why is quarantine an important part of the Gorgon Project?
A. Part of the Gorgon Project’s commitment to protect the conservation values of Barrow Island includes a rigorous quarantine regime developed to prevent the introduction of non-indigenous species and marine pests to Barrow Island and its surrounding waters. This provides an unprecedented level of quarantine management and sets new benchmarks for environmental protection.
Central to the Gorgon Project’s commitment to protect the conservation values of Barrow Island is the Quarantine Management System (QMS), which directs the Project’s quarantine operations. The QMS has received both state and federal approvals, and the Environmental Protection Authority has said that it ‘likely represents best practice in the quarantine management of a large operation’ (Report 1323).
Q. What happens at Dampier Supply Base?
A. Dampier Supply Base receives material and equipment that has already been subject to several levels of quarantine intervention – including inspection, cleaning treatment and wrapping – prior to transport. A three part tagging process (red, blue, green) verifies that the required interventions described in the QMS have taken place.
Tagged goods arriving at Dampier Supply Base must move through three staging areas before they can be loaded for transport to Barrow Island. In each of these areas, further quarantine verification takes place prior to the application of a green tag.
1. Goods arrive at Dampier Supply Base. They are subject to a verification inspection on arrival, and may be directed for remediation or treatment if any quarantine risk material is detected. This may include plant material (e.g. leaves, twigs), soil (e.g. mud) or animal material (e.g. bird faeces) that may have contaminated the goods during transport. After any remediation, the goods are reinspected. Only blue tagged goods may move to the next staging area.
2. Blue tagged goods wait in this area to be directed for shipment to Barrow Island. Once they have been given clearance to be loaded, they undergo another verification inspection and a light wash to remove any road dust. If significant remediation is required, or if they are in this area for longer than seven days, they must return to the first staging area to repeat the initial process. Once they have been cleared, they receive a green tag for movement to the final staging area.
3. Goods in the final staging area must have a green tag and are awaiting loading for transport to Barrow Island on that same day. If loading is not possible, the goods must return to the second staging area. No goods are shipped to Barrow Island without a green tag.
Q. What happens when the goods reach Barrow Island?
A. On arrival at Barrow Island, a final verification inspection is conducted by on-island Project Quarantine Inspectors at the point of entry prior to being allowed onto the island. Minor remediation (e.g. bird strike) may safely be made on the island under controlled conditions by Gorgon Quarantine, but if anything more significant is detected, the goods will be returned on the next available barge to the mainland.
Q. What sort of interventions are Gorgon Quarantine using to prevent non-indigenous species reaching Barrow Island?
A. All materials and equipment being mobilised to Barrow Island will be containerised, wrapped or covered. This provides a safe envelope for the application of treatments as well as preserving the quarantine integrity of the item.
Gorgon Quarantine is employing a number of strategies for the treatment of materials and equipment destined for Barrow Island. All chemical treatments meet or exceed the requirements for safety and will only be applied by licensed operators under controlled conditions.
Collour coded quarantine tags will be affixed to all quarantine compliant materials and equipment. They indicate whether an item has been inspected and cleared and determine whether it can be transported to either a supply base of Barrow Island. Items with no tag are not quarantine compliant and cannot be moved within the supply chain.
Q. How can I find out more about the Gorgon Project?
A. For further information on the Gorgon Project, please call 1800 782 957 or email your query to ASK@chevron.com