WA Greens Party spokesman, Robin Chapple MLC, said the awarding of the contracts to Halliburton subsidiary KBR was “deeply concerning”.

“I have been deeply concerned that Chevron Texaco has been allowed to set up their Gorgon project up on Barrow Island, which has disadvantaged the local Karratha economy and threatens the Barrow environment,” Chapple said.

“I am also deeply concerned that now the contract to perform the pre-FEED work for the Gorgon downstream has also gone offshore to Halliburton and not an Australian-based company.

“I believe it is important that the government of this state intercedes on behalf of Australian workers and corporations. Whilst the project is owned offshore, I am appalled to see the design and construction work associated with it head off overseas as well.”

Clough Ltd is the only Australian business involved in the successful consortium but is itself in the process of having the South African engineering house Murray & Roberts take majority control from the founding Clough family.

Chapple claims the Gorgon supporters are putting up an apparent public relations smokescreen around the project, re-releasing old news about the awarding of the contract and allowing an incorrect perception to be spread that Gorgon has passed its environmental reviews.

EnergyReview.net was sent a press release by ChevronTexaco in June last year announcing very similar contracts. In September, KBR president Andrew Lane said in a conference call it had won a construction contract for an LNG plant in Australia.

Chapple, a former BHP engineer and City of London stockbroker, said recent media reports that the project had received State Government approval were wrong.

“The State Government gave in-principle agreement, pending the recommendations of the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA has categorically canned the project,” he said.

A July 2003 EPA report (Bulletin 1101) states: Given the very high environmental and unique conservation values of Barrow Island, which are reflected in its status as a class A Nature Reserve, it is the view of the EPA that, as a matter of principle, industry should not be located on a nature reserve and specifically not on Barrow Island.

The same report says: Having weighed the environmental values, the limited available data about risks, and the current level of knowledge on their management, the EPA is of the view that the proponent has failed to demonstrate that establishing a gas processing complex on Barrow Island could achieve an acceptably low level of risk to Barrow Island's outstanding environment and unique conservation values.