PERTH (miningweekly.com) – US oil and gas major Chevron this week published a document outlining the economic benefits that its projects will deliver to the Australian economy, amid criticism over the group’s tax payments.

Chevron stated that its Australian activities would deliver about A$1-trillion to the country’s gross domestic product between 2009 and 2040, with nearly A$32-billion delivered each year.

During the same time, Chevron was expected to deliver A$338-billion in federal government revenues and more than A$320-billion to real incomes in Australia.

The company, which is developing its Gorgon and Wheatstone liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects off the coast of Western Australia, has come under fire for its record of Australian tax payments. On Wednesday, senior Chevron executives had to face a Senate tax committee to explain its tax payments.

The Chevron document also pointed out that it had delivered more than A$45-billion in Australian goods and services between 2009 and 2014 to build its two LNG projects, awarding nearly 1 000 contracts to Australian companies.

About A$300-million had also been committed to community investments, including A$250-million to critical and social infrastructure in Onslow, where the Wheatstone project was being developed.

Furthermore, nearly A$1.6-billion had been spent on exploration activities between this time, resulting in more than 25 offshore discoveries.

The Gorgon project was more than 90% complete and included the construction of a 15.6-million-tonne-a-year LNG plant on Barrow Island and a domestic gas plant with the capacity to supply 300 TJ/d of gas to Western Australia.

Wheatstone was more than 65% complete and included two LNG trains with a combined capacity of 8.9-million tonnes a year, as well as a domestic gas plant.

At full production, the two projects would have the capacity to produce about 50% of the domestic gas supply in Western Australia.