(Adds executive quote, background on worker strikes in paragraph 3-7)
Aug 23 (Reuters) - Chevron Corp's Australia unit said on Wednesday it would increase domestic gas production capacity at its Wheatstone project in Western Australia.
Following technical adjustments and plant modifications, the name-plate capacity of the Wheatstone project would increase to 215 terajoules per day from 205 terajoules per day, it said in a statement.
"Plant modifications and subsequent high-rate production trial undertaken over the past year had confirmed the facility was able to maintain safe and reliable domestic gas production at increased rate," Chevron Australia Managing Director Mark Hatfield said.
Further work would be undertaken over the coming months to trial higher domestic gas production rates, Hatfield added.
Chevron's announcement comes as unions representing offshore platform workers at Australian liquefied natural gas (LNG) providers threaten industrial action demanding better wages and work conditions.
Australia is the world's biggest LNG exporter and Woodside Energy's North West Shelf, along with Chevron's Gorgon and Wheatstone projects, supply about one-tenth of the global market.
A final vote where workers will decide whether they would allow the unions to call strikes at Chevron's Wheatstone and Gorgon LNG plants is set for Thursday. (Reporting by Himanshi Akhand and Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sohini Goswami)
