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Australia’s energy giant Woodside has welcomed the arrival of a floating production unit (FPU), which crossed oceans to reach Australian waters and come to the firm’s giant gas project off the coast of Western Australia.
The Australian giant sees the FPU’s arrival as a “major milestone” for the Scarborough energy project, as the unit has completed the journey from China to Australia, after being towed more than 4,000 nautical miles to make its way to the Scarborough field, 375 kilometers off the coast of Karratha.
The approximately 70,000 tonne FPU, which will process gas at the field, is described as one of the largest semi-submersible facilities ever constructed, representing the centerpiece of the Scarborough Joint Venture’s upstream development. This unit, which features advanced emissions-reduction systems, is designed to treat and compress gas for export through the trunkline.
The FPU can also accommodate future tie-ins to support the development of nearby fields. Once operational, the Scarborough project is anticipated to provide secure and reliable supply of gas for Western Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region, contributing more than A$55 billion (around $36.9 billion) in direct and indirect taxes to Australia.
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Liz Westcott , Woodside’s Acting CEO, who celebrated the arrival of the Scarborough FPU and the progress of the project, now more than 91% complete, highlighted: “Having the FPU, an integral component of the Scarborough energy project, safely in the field is a momentous way to begin 2026. Its successful arrival is a further demonstration of the Woodside, McDermott and subcontractor teams’ collaboration and commitment to safe delivery of the project.
“At the start of 2025, the FPU hull and topsides were being constructed in separate yards. Since then, they have been integrated into a single unit and delivered into Australian waters, with work on securing the mooring lines underway. Our focus now shifts to the hook-up and commissioning phase in preparation for production, and ultimately, first LNG cargo which is on track for the second half of this year.”
The Scarborough gas field in the Carnarvon Basin is being developed through new offshore facilities connected by an approximately 433-kilometer pipeline to a second liquefied natural gas (LNG) train at the existing Pluto LNG onshore facility. The development of the field entails the installation of the FPU with eight wells drilled in the initial phase and 13 wells drilled throughout the life of the field.
The expansion of Pluto LNG includes the construction of a second LNG train (Pluto Train 2), installation of additional domestic gas processing facilities and supporting infrastructure and modifications to the existing Pluto Train 1 to allow it to process Scarborough gas, with approximately 5 mtpa of LNG produced from the second train and up to 3 mtpa of LNG from the existing one.
Woodside holds a 74.9% participating interest and is the operator of the Scarborough Joint Venture (JV), while other partners encompass JERA with a 15.1% stake and LNG Japan holding the remaining 10% interest. The Australian giant has a 51% stake in the Pluto Train 2 JV and 90% in the Pluto Train 1 JV.