Barrow island

Barrow Island is located about 60 kilometres from the Western Australian mainland and just over 130 kilometres west of Dampier. Crude oil production facilities are situated on Barrow Island and neighbouring Thevenard Island. Thevenard Island is the hub that processes crude oil from six Chevron operated off shore oil wells; Crest, Cowle, Yammaderry, Skate, Toller and Saladin. This crude oil is shipped from the island to Australian mainland refineries.

Barrow Island Crude Oil Field Commenced Production in 1967
The Barrow Island oil field, that began crude oil production in April 1967, is the largest onshore oil field in Australia. Since its inception the Barrow Island oil field has produced over 300 million barrels of crude oil, peaking at 50,000 barrels a day in 1971, however, today, only 9,000 barrels a day are produced. In an effort to arrest declining production the field owner and operator, Chevron Australia, injects water into the underground oil reservoir to force the remaining oil into the production wells. There are currently over 700 Chevron direct employees and contractors working rotating 14 day shifts on Barrow Island.

It has been a significant feat achieved by Chevron Australia that, despite it drilling over 900 oil wells on Barrow Island and lifting more than 10,000 cargoes since 1967, the pristine Barrow Island ecosystem has essentially remained intact.

Chevron has had a presence in Western Australia Since 1952
Chevron became involved in crude oil production in Western Australia in 1952 through Caltex, a company owned by Standard Oil Company of California and Texaco that was later to become Chevron. About this time Caltex joined up with Ampol Petroleum to create the company West Australian Petroleum Pty Ltd (WAPET). In 1953 WAPET discovered oil in the Carnarvon Basin.

Chevron joined Shell and Woodside in 1964 to form an exploration joint venture that was to become known as the North West Shelf Venture. It was later in 1964 that WAPET made the announcement that oil had been discovered on Barrow Island. Naturalist, Harry Butler, was engaged by the company as its conservation consultant to assist in the environmental management of establishing an oil industry on Barrow Island that would have minimal impact on the island's sensitive ecosystem. In 1973 the West Tryal Rocks gas field was discovered to the north west of Barrow island. This discovery was the first of the greater Gorgon Area gas fields that was eventually discovered in full in 1980 to the west of Barrow Island. The Gorgon Gas Filed is currently being developed from Barrow Island.

Industry Co-exists With Nature on Barrow Island
Barrow Island, in 2014, is still producing crude oil alongside a Class A nature reserve with international recognition. The island is also home to the giant Gorgon Gas Project that is producing liquefied natiral gas (LNG) for the export market alongside gas production for the Western Australia domestic market. Despite all this major development taking place on Barrow Island its recognition as being one of the world's most important wildlife refuges remains essentially intact.

Barrow Island today is an environmental showcase of world significance, held up as an example of sustainable development, a true environmental sanctuary that has received international, national and state appraisal.
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