feature protecting the ashburton river and its inhabitants

The Wheatstone liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant is located adjacent to the Ashburton River Delta, a dynamic system of dunes, lagoons, sand spits and tidal flats.

As part of the Wheatstone Project, Chevron needed to build a 225-kilometre pipeline (trunkline) between the offshore gas processing platform and the onshore LNG plant facility.

Chevron’s commitment to protecting the environment drove the decision to implement an innovative shoreline crossing solution - preserving the Ashburton River Delta, which serves as a nursery habitat for the green sawfish, as well as nesting and feeding grounds for dozens of other species.

By tunneling under the coastal environment and resurfacing behind the coastal dune system Chevron reduced potential impacts to this sensitive ecosystem.

Classified as critically endangered, the green sawfish is a ray with a shark-like body and an elongated snout containing up to 34 pairs of saw teeth. These “teeth” are modified scales that are used to locate, stun, and kill prey.

Following completion of the micro-tunneling process and subsequent installation of the trunkline in 2014, on-ground monitoring and aerial remote sensing data indicated no disruption to local coastal processes and no disturbance or loss of mangroves.

Chevron Australia was awarded the 2015 Golden Gecko Award for Environmental Excellence by the Government of Western Australia, Department of Mines and Petroleum for utilising the micro-tunnel shoreline crossing solution.

Learn more about the green sawfish >

Learn more about how Chevron Australia is protecting the environment >