(Updated with a statement by a Chevron spokesman)
Chevron’s US$54 billion Gorgon project on Barrow Island is close to restarting liquefied natural gas production after a “minor gas leak” halted production at the beginning of the month.
“Start-up activities are underway on Gorgon Train 1 with production to recommence shortly,” Chevron spokesman Kent Robertson said in an emailed statement.
“Construction activities continue to progress on Trains 2 and 3, with timing not affected by the work on Train 1,” Roberston added.
U.S.-based multinational shipped the second Gorgon cargo shortly after the gas leak on July 3 aboard the Marib Spirit loaded with previously stored LNG. However, since then no ships were dispatched from the plant.
The facility was scheduled to export five cargoes in total during July, but the schedule was severely affected by the gas leak. It was reported earlier that two vessels, the Asia Excellence and Asia Endeavour have both been waiting at anchor offshore Dampier.
Once production is back online and the construction at Gorgon’s liquefaction trains 2 & 3 is complete, the facility will be able to produce 15.6 mtpa of LNG using feed gas from the Gorgon and Jansz-Io gas fields, located between 130 km and 220 km off the northwest coast of Western Australia.
The LNG project is operated by Chevron that owns a 47.3 percent stake, while other shareholders are ExxonMobil (25 percent), Shell (25 percent), Osaka Gas (1.25 percent), Tokyo Gas (1 percent) and Chubu Electric Power (0.417 percent).
LNG World News Staff