Oz Chevron Restarts Gorgon LNG Train 2

US major Chevron said November 23 it had safely resumed production at its Gorgon LNG facility on Barrow Island off Western Australia’s northwest coast. 

The unit has been idle since July 2020 when inspections during routine maintenance revealed weld quality issues in its propane heat exchangers. That prompted Chevron to take a closer look at the heat exchangers on the other two Gorgon trains.

“Insights gained from Train 2 repairs will contribute to more efficient inspections and potential repairs on Trains 1 and 3, with preparations underway for shutting down Train 1 for inspections,” a Chevron Australia spokesman in Perth told NGW in an email, noting the length of the shutdown will depend on what is discovered during the inspections. “Following completion of inspections and potential repairs on Train 1, Train 3 will undergo a similar process.”

Appropriate safety measures are in place to conduct the inspections and any further repairs, the spokesman said, and Chevron continues to deliver LNG to customers and gas to the Western Australian domestic market under existing contractual commitments with its customers.