Chevron Starts LNG Output at Wheatstone Project
Chevron Corporation announced it has started producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the Wheatstone Project in Western Australia. The first cargo is on track to be shipped in the coming weeks. “First LNG production is a significant milestone and is a credit to our partners, contractors and the many thousands of people who collaborated to deliver this legacy asset,” said Chevron Chairman and CEO John Watson. At full capacity, the Wheatstone Project’s two train LNG facility will supply 8.9 million metric tons per year of LNG for export to customers in Asia. The LNG facility is located 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) west of Onslow and processes natural gas from the Chevron-operated Wheatstone and Iago fields.
Shell Sells Wheatstone LNG Stake in Australia
Royal Dutch Shell plc has announced it has agreed to sell its 8% equity interest in the Wheatstone-Iago Joint Venture and 6.4% interest in the 8.9 million metric tons per annum Wheatstone liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Western Australia for a cash consideration of $1.135 billion to the Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC), subject to closing. Shell Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden commented, “Shell will remain a major player in Australia’s energy industry.
Technip Awarded a Large Subsea Installation Contract in Australia
Technip has been awarded a subsea contract by Chevron Australia Pty. Ltd. for the Wheatstone Project, one of Australia’s largest resource projects. The contract, valued at approximately €245 million, covers the development of the Wheatstone and Iago fields, located in the Carnarvon Basin, offshore Northwestern Australia. This contract includes project management, design, fabrication and installation of subsea isolation valve; production tee protection structures, spools(1) and jumpers(2); transport and installation of manifold, foundation structures and pipeline; termination structures; and supply and installation of 41 kilometres of umbilicals. Technip’s operating center in Perth, Australia, will manage the overall project with engineering to begin immediately.
Kuwait, Philippine Sign Contract
Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC), Shell and South China Resources (SCR) signed a contract with the Philippine Energy Department on offshore oil and gas explorations in northeastern Palawan, Philippine. The contract covered an area that exceeds 10 million square km, 30 percent of which is assigned to KUFPEC, 55 percent to Shell and the other 15 percent to SCR. The contract includes exploration and drilling of three oil wells within the next seven years and if oil or natural gas is discovered there, the production contract will be extended for nearly 25 years. (Source: People’s Daily Online)