US-based energy giant Chevron commenced production from the second liquefaction train at the Wheatstone LNG plant located 12 kilometers west of Onslow, Western Australia.
Chevron Australia managing director Nigel Hearne said the unit now operates a five train LNG business in the country.
Wheatstone is expected to produce 8.9 MTPA over an estimated 30 years of operation. The domestic gas plant is progressing well and is due online later in the year.
Speaking of the production start, Peter Coleman , CEO of Woodside, a partner in the project, said the project is also part of the company’s growth strategy, and add to the six Woodside-operated trains on the Burrup Hub in Western Australia, and will put the company closer to the targeted production of approximately 100 mmboe by 2020.
Also in support of Wheatstone’s production, Woodside is progressing concept definition for Phase 2 of the Julimar-Brunello Project which will tie-back the Julimar field to the existing Brunello subsea infrastructure that is connected to the Wheatstone offshore platform.
The Chevron-operated Wheatstone project is a joint venture between Australian subsidiaries of Chevron (64.14 percent), Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) (13.4 percent), Woodside Petroleum (13 percent), and Kyushu Electric Power Company (1.46 percent), together with PE Wheatstone, part-owned by JERA (8 percent).