The facility's operator, Empire's wholly-owned subsidiary, Rough Range Oil, made an application to the department on Wednesday, Empire said.

Production will let Geraldton-based Phelps Transport haul the oil from the field in the state’s north-west to the BP refinery in Kwinana, south of Perth.

Last month, Empire entered a five-year crude oil supply agreement with BP Australia and its Kwinana refinery to sell up to 1000 barrels a day from the field and its production facility.

The company is also undertaking more work to increase its geological knowledge of the area.

It said yesterday that a geochemical survey will be conducted from July 16 over the Dune, Pindan and Parrot Hill East oil prospects near the oilfield on the Bullara Trend.

Empire has farmed out half the costs of drilling the first well in EP 435, which contains the Rough Range field.

The surveys are designed to further delineate the seismic-defined oil prospects and their drilling locations, and determine which prospect would be drilled first, Empire said.