Chevron has temporarily halted production at its Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) and condensate project on Barrow Island, off the northwest coast of Western Australia due to mechanical issues.
According to Chevron Australia, the propane refrigerant circuit on Train 1 at the plant site is experiencing mechanical issues.
The propane refrigerant circuit is a closed system used to cool natural gas supplied to the plant. Work necessary to complete the repairs is ongoing while the site team continues equipment inspection and assessment.
Based on initial findings, the repair work is of a routine nature and all the necessary equipment and material is available on site. A restart of the plant within 30-60 days is estimated at this time, the firm said.
Meanwhile, start-up of Train 1 and associated infrastructure is well advanced with first LNG production achieved and production peaking at nearly 90,000 boe/d. Train 1 ramp-up to full capacity is still expected to occur over six to eight months from initial start-up.
Construction activities are also continuing to progress on LNG Trains 2 and 3 with timing not affected by the work on Train 1. The first LNG cargo, which departed Barrow Island on March 21 and has also been delivered to Chubu Electric Power in Japan.
The Chevron-operated Gorgon project is a joint venture between the Australian subsidiaries of Chevron (47.3%) ExxonMobil (25%), Shell (25%), Osaka Gas (1.25%), Tokyo Gas (1%) and Chubu Electric Power (0.417%).
Image: Gorgon LNG site / Chevron
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Chevron achieves first LNG at Gorgon
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