In 2011, we reached milestones in many of our operations and communities. Following are a few examples from regions covered in our previous reports.
Indonesia
Politeknik Aceh graduated its first 140 students in September 2011. The polytechnic university was built by Chevron and its partners as part of the Chevron Aceh Recovery Initiative that followed the 2004 tsunami. Currently, 540 students are learning about mechatronics, industrial electronics engineering, accounting and other subjects that support long-term economic growth in Aceh.
In line with our commitment to support the education of Indonesia's youth, we designed the Chevron Earthquake Recovery Initiative in 2009 to rebuild educational facilities destroyed by the earthquakes. With $1.8 million from employee donations and company funds, Chevron worked with the central government, local governments, nongovernmental organizations, civil society and school committees to restore and rebuild two schools in West Sumatra and another two schools in Sukabumi and Garut regencies, where Chevron has its Darajat and Salak geothermal operations. The buildings were designed to resist earthquakes, and the Padang Vocational High School can function as shelter for 2,200 people in case of a tsunami.
Australia
We're setting a new benchmark in the management of biosecurity risks through our quarantine management system on Barrow Island, home of the Gorgon liquefied natural gas project. Effective quarantine management is at the core of our commitment to safeguarding Barrow Island's unique species. The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority has acknowledged that our system is likely to be the world's best practice. The system was developed with help from independent experts and applies innovative engineering solutions to ecological challenges.
We are also playing an important role in the large-scale demonstration of greenhouse gas storage technology through our Gorgon CO2-injection project, an investment of approximately $2.1 billion. We plan to separate CO2, which occurs naturally in the Gorgon produced gas, and inject it into a deep containment reservoir 1.6 miles (2.6 km) beneath Barrow Island. The project has received support from many sectors and groups, including recognition from the international Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum. The Australian government has also committed approximately $62.7 million to the Gorgon Project as part of the Low Emissions Technology Demonstration Fund.
U.S. Gulf of Mexico
The drilling activity that had begun in March 2010 at the Moccasin prospect in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico was stopped that June, when the U.S. government imposed a moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf. In March 2011, we were issued a deepwater permit by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement to resume drilling the Moccasin exploration well. In September, we announced a new oil discovery at the prospect.
Since the BP Macondo well incident, we have reviewed our processes, procedures and well-control contingency plans at our drilling operations worldwide to confirm our ability to operate safely and respond to any unforeseen incidents. Chevron is one of the sponsor companies of the Marine Well Containment Co. (MWCC), a nonprofit, independent organization committed to improving response capabilities for containing deepwater well-control incidents in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. MWCC developed an interim oil-spill containment system that became available for use in February 2011.
Kazakhstan
As Kazakhstan celebrated its 20th anniversary of independence in 2011, Chevron continued to support new initiatives in the country. In addition to helping develop innovative projects in vocational training and earthquake preparedness for Almaty citizens, Chevron signed a partnership agreement with Nazarbayev University in the country's capital city, Astana, to provide funds to the Center for Energy Research for studies in energy, the environment and sustainable development, and to provide the Social Development Fund to support young researchers. Since its operations began in 1993, the Chevron-led joint venture Tengizchevroil has invested $700 million to fund social programs in the Atyrau region for its workforce and the community.
Angola
In 2011, we partnered with the Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and the Republic of Angola on two health initiatives. Chevron has committed $4 million over four years to support the Angola Sickle Cell Initiative, the country's first comprehensive sickle cell treatment program. Of the more than 6,000 babies who were screened in 2011, 85 were identified as having the disease and will receive treatment before they manifest symptoms. We also announced a $6 million, five-year agreement to expand Texas Children's Hospital's Global Health Corps program, which provides lifesaving pediatric health care and treatment to medically underserved populations in Angola and Liberia.
Updated: May 2012