The commissioning of Wheatstone LNG project’s first liquefaction train is in the final stages, Woodside’s CEO Peter Coleman said.
The Chevron-led project west of Onslow, Australia completed offshore platform hook-up and commissioning required for LNG Train 1 start-up.
Woodside informed in its quarterly report that the trunkline is pressurized and ready to supply gas onshore where LNG Train 1 final commissioning is well advanced and nearing completion.
The start-up of the second liquefaction train is expected six to eight months after the Train 1 start-up.
At full capacity, the two liquefaction trains will be producing 8.9 million tons per annum of LNG.
Wheatstone LNG is a joint venture between Australian units of Chevron (64.14 percent), Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (13.4 percent), Woodside (13 percent), and Kyushu Electric Power Company (1.46 percent), together with PE Wheatstone, part owned by JERA (8 percent).
LNG cargo deliveries and Pluto expansion plans
Woodside, that reported a 20.7 mmboe production during the second quarter of 2017 noted that the production was impacted by two temporary unplanned outages at the Karratha gas plant.
With the outages, the North West Shelf project delivered 60 cargoes, while the Pluto LNG plant exported 16 cargoes, achieving daily and weekly production records along the way.
Woodside noted that studies on the expansion of the Pluto LNG plant have progressed with concept options nearing completions.
Expressions of interest have been sought for FEED and the development of binding EPC bids to support planned final investment decision in the second half of 2018.
Results of the cold high-rate trial confirmed there is additional available pre-treatment capacity which may be utilized through expansion scope.
Woodside’s CEO Coleman also said that the North West Shelf project participants have proposed non-binding key terms to process gas through the Karratha Gas Plant to other resource owners.
The participants are now negotiating with the resource owners and targeting preliminary agreements in early 2018.