Chevron Signs Export Deal For Wheatstone LNG  

Chevron's Wheatstone gas field has long been the subject of a tug of war between Chevron (who want to develop it themselves - at one point talking up the possibility of building a GTL plant) and Woodside, who want to use the gas as feedstock for their second Pluto LNG train, which will shortly begin construction at the Burrup Penninsula.

It appears that Chevron have found a customer for the gas at last, with weekend press reports trumpeting a "$90 billion" gas sale to Japanese power company Tokyo Electric. The development is expected to produce 4.1 million tonnes of LNG exported each year. A final decision on the project is expected in 2011.

With Pluto, Gorgon and Wheatstone all looking to move forward after long delays, and the federal government's "use it or lose it" push to get holders of gas reserves to develop them quickly, we may see the Browse and Sunrise fields developed in the coming decade as well.