Chevron finishes up Wheatstone LNG maintenance: press

Chevron has restarted liquefied gas production from the 8.9mn metric tons/year Wheatstone LNG facility in Western Australia following planned maintenance, Reuters reported May 17.

The month-long upkeep focused on one of Wheatstone's two processing trains and an offshore platform associated with the facility. The work was completed from April 4 to May 9, Chevron Australia operations director Kory Judd told Reuters.

Judd said the repairs took place without any operational disruption, despite a recent jump in COVID-19 cases in Western Australia. Chevron is still ramping up the launch of Wheatstone's gas processing plant for domestic customers, he added.

"We are still starting up our domestic gas plant," he said. "It is in the process of its startup activities right now, but the two LNG trains are online."

Chevron owns a 64% operated stake in Wheatstone LNG, and is partnered with Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (13.4%), Woodside Petroleum (13%), Kyushu Electric Power Company (1.46%) and PE Wheatstone, part owned by JERA (8%).

It is one of two large-scale Western Australian LNG plants run by the US major, alongside the three-train, 15.6mn mt/yr Gorgon LNG facility. Maintenance has affected both plants in recent months.

Chevron undertook routine servicing at Wheatstone LNG last autumn, while Gorgon LNG's first train was taken offline early last year due to faulty welds at its dehydration unit. The latter shutdown contributed to a $545mn production loss at Gorgon LNG, and was followed by a further closure at Gorgon's third LNG train in December, according to media reports.