Chevron Restarts Wheatstone LNG After Cyclone, Domestic Gas Fully Restored

Chevron has restored domestic gas supply in Western Australia as its Wheatstone LNG facility ramps back up following cyclone damage, with output recovering but repairs still ongoing.

(Reuters) — Chevron Australia said on April 9 it has fully resumed domestic gas supply to Western Australian customers, while liquefied natural gas output is gradually being restored at its Wheatstone facility following cyclone damage last month.

Here are some of the details:

• In late March, Chevron said Wheatstone was unlikely to return to full production for several weeks after suffering extensive damage from tropical cyclone Narelle.
• On Thursday, the company said domestic gas supply has now been fully restored for its Western Australian customers after successful startup activities over the Easter weekend.
• LNG output has risen as repair work progressed, including the replacement of several hundred air-cooled heat exchangers, known as fin fans.
• Chevron Australia said LNG production reached about50% capacity after one of Wheatstone's two LNG production trains began operating at full rates overnight.
• Repairs are still ongoing on the second production train.
• The two-train Wheatstone LNG project produces 8.9 million tons per year, about 15% of which is reserved for the domestic market.