The life of the gas and oil operation on coastal Western Australia has been extended due to the participants of the North West Shelf Venture project approving a $5 billion expansion project.

The North Rankin 2 development will include the installation of a platform which stands in 125 metres of water, 135 kilometers off Karratha. It will be connected to the existing North Rankin A platform by a 100 metre bridge to allow the two platforms to operate as a single integrated facility.

It will recover the remaining low-pressure gas from the aging North Rankin and Perseus gas fields.

The North West Shelf Venture supplies LNG (liquefied natural gas) to long-term customers in Asia, including Japan and Korea.

BHP Billiton petroleum chief executive Michael Yeager said “This extension of the North West Shelf project follows our approval of the fifth LNG train, which expanded the LNG facility considerable as well as the Angel gas and condensate field which are under development.”

December 2008 should see the completion of the $2.5 billion train.