One third of Chevron's oil and gas production is in the Asia-Pacific region and it is becoming increasingly an important part of the corporation's global business.

The global technology centre commenced operations in April and is in the QV1 building in Perth's central business district.

Chervon chairman and chief executive Dave O'Reilly said sophisticated and continuously advancing technologies, such as that dealt with at the new centre, were required for new oil and gas supplies.

"Much ... will come from challenging, large, complex projects such as Australian liquefied natural gas and ultra deepwater developments," Mr O'Reilly said.

"The technical innovations developed here for exploration, reservoir management, enhanced oil recovery and deepwater will be applied throughout our global businesses.

"The world's energy demand is expected to grow by about 50 per cent in the period 2005 to 2030 and the centre of that growth will be here in the Asia-Pacific region."

By the end of 2008, Chevron expects to employ about 100 researchers, scientists, engineers, technical experts and support personnel at the new Perth facility.

Chevron employs 1,700 people through global technology centres in the US and UK.