The Western Australian government has confirmed it is investigating repeated, large-scale methane emissions detected at Chevron’s Gorgon gas project off the Pilbara coast. The announcement follows several days of uncertainty regarding which regulatory body held jurisdiction over the industrial site.
Satellite Data Triggers Investigation
The investigation by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) comes after satellite monitoring identified significant methane clouds emerging from the facility over the past year. Data from the Tanager-1 satellite recorded five consecutive instances of high-volume emissions, with the most recent detection measuring 7.8 tonnes of methane per hour near the project's acid gas removal units.
Regulatory Oversight and Industry Response
The oversight of the Gorgon project—one of Australia’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants—has been a point of contention during recent Senate Estimates hearings. Federal officials maintained that the responsibility for monitoring these specific emissions lies with the state regulator.
Chevron has not provided a formal comment on the state-led investigation, though the company noted it is in correspondence with the United Nations regarding the satellite data. The company continues to operate the Barrow Island facility, which maintains a production capacity of 15.6 million tonnes of LNG per year.
