Chevron has more than $60 billion worth of liquefied natural gas export projects under construction in northwestern Australia and is positioning itself to become one of the country's largest LNG suppliers.   

"Our on-going exploration success continues to add to our Australian resource base, further underpinning our drive to be a leading supplier of liquefied natural gas to world markets and natural gas to Western Australia," Melody Meyer, president of Chevron Asia Pacific Exploration and Production, said in a statement. 

The discovery was in Vos-1 permit area it jointly owns with Shell Development (Australia), Chevron said. 

Chevron's giant 15 million tonne per annum (mtpa) Gorgon project is set to come online in 2014, while its recently approved Wheatstone project, which will produce 8.9 mtpa, is set to come online in 2016.