Chevron Australia has brought on stream the second LNG train in its $34-billion Wheatstone project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Train 1 of the project came on stream at the beginning of October 2017 (OGJ Online, Oct. 9, 2017). The project will now ramp up to its full capacity of 8.9 million tonnes/year of LNG in the coming months.
The plant lies 12 km from the coastal town of Onslow. The final part of the Wheatstone infrastructure—the domestic gas plant—is on schedule to be brought on stream at yearend.
Chevron now has five LNG trains in operation in Western Australia across the Wheatstone and the $54-billion Gorgon-Jansz project on Barrow Island.
Chevron Australia managing director Nigel Hearne noted that following the same practice as with Wheatstone Train 1, production at Train 2 will be temporarily halted during this year’s third quarter to remove strainers used in the start-up phase.
Hearne added that the construction period for the Gorgon and Wheatstone projects had contributed about $60 billion (Aus.) to Australian goods and services, about 1,000 contracts to Australian companies, and almost 19,000 jobs.
Woodside Petroleum Ltd., which is a 13% shareholder in Wheatstone, is currently progressing a design concept for Phase 2 of the Julimar-Brunello project, which will supply the Wheatstone offshore platform.
Chevron is operator with 64.14% of the project. Other partners include Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co. 13.4%, Woodside 13%, Kyushu Electric Power Co. 1.46%, and PE Wheatstone Pty. Ltd. 8%.
