Australia Pacific LNG Train Shuts

The Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) project on Australia’s east coast closed one of its two trains for planned maintenance March 8 with more work scheduled for next month, APLNG said March 8.

“Australia Pacific LNG downstream operator, ConocoPhillips, will commence two maintenance shutdowns in March and April, and will spend over A$5mn [$3.89mn] with Gladstone based businesses during the period,” APLNG said.

“Approximately 200 additional contractors are required for the shutdowns, with 73% local to Gladstone. They will support the existing 280 locally-based employees and contractors who permanently support operations at the LNG facility,” ConocoPhillips Australia east president, Wendy King, said.

The first train shutdown is due to run from March 8 to March 23 with a second train shutdown scheduled for April 14-April 29, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator.

The shutdowns follow total LNG exports from the Port of Gladstone falling to a six-month low in February of 1.65mn metric tons (mt), which is down from 1.77mn mt in January but above the 1.56mn mt shipped a year earlier, Gladstone Ports Corporation data showed earlier in the month.

Exports of LNG from Gladstone also come from Shell’s Queensland Curtis LNG and the Santos-led Gladstone LNG project. APLNG’s two trains each have nameplate capacities of 4.5mn mt/year.