Binnie said the establishment of gas processing infrastructure on Barrow Island would provide a catalyst for the future development of other greater Gorgon area fields, an area that contains up to 40 tcf of natural gas.

The venture partners argue that gas would be processed at the facility into liquid products and transported to a pipeline to shore, opening up Western Australia's second major gas resource to the mainland.

Currently the joint venture partners have spent more than $800 million on exploration and development of the project despite the fact that a foundation customer is yet to be found.

Right now the partners are seeking EIA approval and Barrow Island use approval as well as completing some front end engineering.

In the 1990s, plans were based on a processing facility on the mainland, however the company claims the high cost of transporting gas made the project internationally uncompetitive.