Australian company confident in LNG decision by the end of the year

It may not come as soon as July, but Australian Energy giant BHP Billiton believes it can have a decision on its plans to build a liquefied natural gas receiving terminal off the Ventura County coast by the end of the year:

Repeated delays have ended the Australian Federal Government's hopes California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger would approve BHP-Billiton's $US4 billion ($A5.18 billion) gas terminal by July.

Australia's industry minister, Ian Macfarlane, said he was still hopeful Schwarzenegger would make a final decision by the end of 2005, but admitted the ambitious target of July was now likely out of reach.

"I think that's unlikely now," Macfarlane told AAP.

"We're still hopeful of a decision this year."

BHP Billiton has proposed to build a liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal 23km off the coast of Los Angeles. The project would allow BHP Billiton to ship the gas to the terminal and pipe it from the terminal to Los Angeles.