North West Shelf LNG Terminal
| Part of the Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker, a Global Energy Monitor project. |
North West Shelf LNG Terminal, also known as NWS T1, is an LNG export terminal in Australia with units that are operating and retired.
Location
Table 1: Location details
| Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| T1 | Perth, Burrup Peninsula, Western Australia, Australia | -20.59424, 116.7767 (exact) |
| T2 | Perth, Burrup Peninsula, Western Australia, Australia | -20.59424, 116.7767 (exact) |
| T3 | Perth, Burrup Peninsula, Western Australia, Australia | -20.59424, 116.7767 (exact) |
| T4 | Perth, Burrup Peninsula, Western Australia, Australia | -20.59424, 116.7767 (exact) |
| T5 | Perth, Burrup Peninsula, Western Australia, Australia | -20.59424, 116.7767 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the terminal:
Project Details
Table 2: Infrastructure details
| Name | Facility type | Status | Capacity | Total terminal capacity | Offshore | Associated infrastructure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | export | operating[1] | 2.5 mtpa | 16.7 mtpa | False | Equus gas project (future) |
| T2 | export | retired[2] | 2.5 mtpa | 16.7 mtpa | False | Equus gas project (future) |
| T3 | export | operating[1] | 2.5 mtpa | 16.7 mtpa | False | Equus gas project (future) |
| T4 | export | operating[1] | 4.6 mtpa | 16.7 mtpa | False | Equus gas project (future) |
| T5 | export | operating[1] | 4.6 mtpa | 16.7 mtpa | False | Equus gas project (future) |
Table 3: Cost
| Name | Facility type | Cost | Total known terminal costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | export | – | – |
| T2 | export | – | – |
| T3 | export | – | – |
| T4 | export | – | – |
| T5 | export | – | – |
Financing
No financing data available.
Table 4: Project timeline
| Name | Facility type | Status | Proposal year | FID year | Construction year | Operating year | Inactive year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | export | operating[1] | – | – | – | 1989[1] | – |
| T2 | export | retired[2] | – | – | – | 1989[1] | 2025 (retired)[2] |
| T3 | export | operating[1] | – | – | – | 1992[1] | – |
| T4 | export | operating[1] | – | – | – | 2004[1] | – |
| T5 | export | operating[1] | – | – | – | 2008[1] | – |
Ownership
Table 5: Ownership
| Name | Facility type | Status | Owners | Parent companies | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | export | operating[1] | BP PLC [16%]; BHP Group Ltd [16%]; Woodside Energy Group Ltd [16%]; Shell PLC [16%]; Japan Australia LNG Pty Ltd [16%]; Chevron Corp [16%][1][1][1][1][1][1] | BHP Group Ltd [16.7%]; BP PLC [16.7%]; Chevron Corp [16.7%]; Shell PLC [16.7%]; Woodside Energy Group Ltd [16.7%]; Mitsubishi Corp [8.3%]; Mitsui Group [8.3%] | Woodside[1] |
| T2 | export | retired[2] | BP PLC [16%]; BHP Group Ltd [16%]; Woodside Energy Group Ltd [16%]; Shell PLC [16%]; Japan Australia LNG Pty Ltd [16%]; Chevron Corp [16%][1][1][1][1][1][1] | BHP Group Ltd [16.7%]; BP PLC [16.7%]; Chevron Corp [16.7%]; Shell PLC [16.7%]; Woodside Energy Group Ltd [16.7%]; Mitsubishi Corp [8.3%]; Mitsui Group [8.3%] | Woodside[1] |
| T3 | export | operating[1] | BP PLC [16%]; BHP Group Ltd [16%]; Woodside Energy Group Ltd [16%]; Shell PLC [16%]; Japan Australia LNG Pty Ltd [16%]; Chevron Corp [16%][1][1][1][1][1][1] | BHP Group Ltd [16.7%]; BP PLC [16.7%]; Chevron Corp [16.7%]; Shell PLC [16.7%]; Woodside Energy Group Ltd [16.7%]; Mitsubishi Corp [8.3%]; Mitsui Group [8.3%] | Woodside[1] |
| T4 | export | operating[1] | BP PLC [16%]; BHP Group Ltd [16%]; Woodside Energy Group Ltd [16%]; Shell PLC [16%]; Japan Australia LNG Pty Ltd [16%]; Chevron Corp [16%][1][1][1][1][1][1] | BHP Group Ltd [16.7%]; BP PLC [16.7%]; Chevron Corp [16.7%]; Shell PLC [16.7%]; Woodside Energy Group Ltd [16.7%]; Mitsubishi Corp [8.3%]; Mitsui Group [8.3%] | Woodside[1] |
| T5 | export | operating[1] | BP PLC [16%]; BHP Group Ltd [16%]; Woodside Energy Group Ltd [16%]; Shell PLC [16%]; Japan Australia LNG Pty Ltd [16%]; Chevron Corp [16%][1][1][1][1][1][1] | BHP Group Ltd [16.7%]; BP PLC [16.7%]; Chevron Corp [16.7%]; Shell PLC [16.7%]; Woodside Energy Group Ltd [16.7%]; Mitsubishi Corp [8.3%]; Mitsui Group [8.3%] | Woodside[1] |
Background
North West Shelf LNG Terminal is an LNG export terminal in Western Australia, Australia.[3]
According to the company website in 1989 the first cargo of North West Shelf LNG left the facility's Karratha Gas Plant onboard headed to Japan’s Sodegaura Terminal. The North West Shelf LNG Project has delivered almost 4000 LNG cargoes since 1989.[4]
In 2017 Woodside, Australia's biggest oil and gas company, developed plans to connect their smaller Pluto LNG Terminal with their North West Shelf LNG Terminal on the Burrup Peninsula.[5]
North West Shelf LNG exports to Asia. Reuters reported in 2017 that the facility exports about 16.3 million tons a year.[6]
As of 2017, Australia is the second largest LNG exporter after Qatar. The country exports almost 44 million tons a year. [7]
In 2017 it was discovered that the petroleum resource rent tax had failed to collect billions of dollars in revenue north-west Australia.[8]
There have been plans to extend North West Shelf LNG to serve the domestic market as well as export. In 2017 Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce supported the construction of a new pipeline linking West Australia’s gas fields to the strained markets of the east coast. He proposed North West Shelf LNG to be shipped to Melbourne where it could feed through an import terminal.[9]
Woodside and ConocoPhillips, operators of Australia’s two oldest LNG plants, Darwin LNG Terminal and North West Shelf LNG are considering cheaper development options for their Browse and Barossa gas fields to compete against Qatar. Qatar added to the fears of Australia’s LNG owners in July 2017 when it announced a 23 million ton-a-year increase in gas exports.[10]
The Woodside chief executive has made clear his preferred feedstock option for the North West Shelf LNG would be from the 30.6 per cent Woodside-owned Browse gas field.[10]
In June 2020, Chevron announced that it was selling its 16.7% stake in the project after initial discussions with potential bidders. The company also said that it remains committed to its Gorgon LNG Terminal and Wheatstone LNG Terminal projects, also in Western Australia.[11] Quoting Wood Mackenzie estimates, Australian gas analyst Peter Milne believes that Chevron may struggle to find a buyer for its stake in an aging terminal which requires a life-extending refurbishment at a cost of up to US$12 billion.[12] As of April 2021, Chevron had not succeeded in selling its North West Shelf stake and the company's Australian business had slumped to a US$1.8bn annual loss amid plunging oil and gas prices and repairs to its Gorgon LNG project.[13] It remains to be seen who will end up owning the 16.7% piece of ownership. As of May 2022, Chevron is still listed as owning its 16.7% share.[1]
In December 2022, Western Gas said it had partnered with participants of North West Shelf project and Woodside Energy's Pluto LNG plant to annually process up to 3 million tonnes of low carbon dioxide gas from the Equus gas project off Western Australia for LNG export from 2027.[14][15]
In November 2023, Woodside confirmed that one of its trains would cease production in 2024.[16] As of November 2023, Woodside Energy stated that it would likely take train 2 out of operation.[17]
In December 2024, an asset swap was announced between Chevron and Woodside in which Woodside would receive Chevron's 16.67% interest in the NWS project, subject to regulatory approvals.[18]
In May 2025, Woodside received government approval to extend the operating lifetime of the terminal out to 2070, past its current expiration in 2030.[19]
In July 2025, Woodside retired train 2 due to declining gas production.[20]
In September 2025, Shell said that it was considering selling its 16.67% stake in the project.[21]
In March 2026, Tropical Cyclone Narelle caused the terminal to suspend operations for several days.[22]
As of May 2026, neither the Shell divestment nor the Chevron asset swap had completed.
Browse to NWS Project
After the Browse Joint Venture halted plans for the Browse FLNG Terminal in 2016, they evaluated the option of transporting gas from the Calliance, Brecknock, and Torosa natural gas fields via two FPSOs and a trunkline to the existing infrastructure at North West Shelf LNG Terminal. This concept was advanced in 2018 when it was formally proposed to the Commonwealth regulator.[23]
In December 2019, the draft environmental impact statement was released for public comment.[23]
In February 2020, the planned FID date was pushed back from 2020 to the end of 2021, with an anticipated start-up date of 2026.[24]
In April 2021, The Australian Financial Review reported that Woodside's troubled Scarborough LNG Terminal may reach FID in the second half of 2021 and that FID on the Browse project was still possible, if less likely.[25]
In April 2023, Woodside's CEO said to Reuters that talks with the owners of the North West Shelf LNG Terminal over the Browse gas processing deal were underway again after a pause during the pandemic.[26] The same month, Shell signed an agreement to sell BP its 27% stake in the Browse gas project.[27]
In November 2023, Shell completed the sale of its 27% stake to BP.[28]
In February 2024, Western Australia's EPA deemed the Browse development plan as unacceptable due to its risks on endangered species at nearby Scott Reef. The EPA had only recommended against 2 of 100 oil and gas proposals since the 1980s.[29]
In March 2024, it was reported that the front-end engineering and design (FEED) phase remained in limbo due to high capital costs and project complexities, making it unlikely that the project would enter the FEED phase in 2024.[30]
In April 2024, however, it was reported that Woodside was performing pre-FEED engineering work in Norway on two floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels.[31]
In March 2025, an amendment to the Browse to NWS Project State proposal that was submitted to the WA EPA.[32]
In May 2026, a new report estimated that the project cost had increased from AU$27.3 billion to AU$48.7 billion, in part due to the addition of a major carbon capture and storage component in 2023. The CCS project would re-inject up to 4 million metric tons a year of carbon dioxide emissions, aiming to reduce emissions by 47%. The environment department was expected to issue its opinion on the project in June 2026. The report also indicated a start-up date of 2033, with operations ending in 2064. The project would not involve any official expansion of the NWS infrastructure, just increased gas supply for both domestic use and LNG export.[33][34]
Articles and Resources
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of LNG terminals, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 1.34 1.35 1.36 1.37 1.38 1.39 1.40 1.41 1.42 1.43 1.44 1.45 1.46 1.47 1.48 1.49 1.50 1.51 1.52 (PDF) https://giignl.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/GIIGNL2022_Annual_Report_May24.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 https://lngprime.com/australia-and-oceania/australias-woodside-retires-second-nws-lng-train/157689/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ North West Shelf LNG Terminal, A Barrel Full, accessed April 2017
- ↑ North West Shelf Gas, Australia LNG, accessed July 2017
- ↑ Matt Chambers,"Woodside plans for growth phase ahead," The Australian, May 24, 2017.
- ↑ "UPDATE 1-Australia's North West Shelf LNG facility hit by Karratha plant outage," Reuters, June 28, 2017.
- ↑ Diane Munro, [http://www.agsiw.org/qatar-moves-ensure-lng-dominance/ "Qatar Moves to Ensure LNG Dominance ,"] Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, April 17, 2017.
- ↑ Gareth Hutchens,"Australia must charge royalties on natural gas or lose billions, says expert," The Guardian, February 8, 2017.
- ↑ Sarah Martin,"Joyce backs gas pipeline from WA to east coast," The West Australian, September 22, 2017.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Peter Milne "Woodside’s Browse plant and ConocoPhillips to take on Qatar," The West Australian, Jul. 13, 2017
- ↑ Solani Paul "Chevron puts stake in Australia's North West Shelf LNG on the block," Reuters, Jun. 18, 2020.
- ↑ Peter Milne, "Eight huge risks Chevron’s North West Shelf sales pitch missed," Boiling Cold, Aug. 31, 2020
- ↑ "Plunging prices and LNG repairs trigger Chevron's $2.3 billion loss in Australia," The Australian, Apr. 5, 2021
- ↑ Reuters. Western Gas partners up to process gas from Australia's Equus LNG project. December 19, 2022.
- ↑ LNG Prime Staff (2022-12-20). "Woodside and partners ink deals to liquefy Equus gas at Pluto and NWS LNG plants". LNG Prime. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
- ↑ "Australian first LNG train will cease operations next year". Global LGN Info. Nov 11, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Train 2 likely to close at Woodside's NWS LNG in 2024". Argus Media. Nov 13, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "chevron australia consolidates focus on wheatstone project in asset swap". australia.chevron.com. 2024-12-19. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Staff, LNG Prime (2025-05-28). "Woodside gets OK for NWS extension project". LNG Prime. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
- ↑ Staff, LNG Prime (2025-07-23). "Australia's Woodside retires second NWS LNG train". LNG Prime. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
- ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-09-04/shell-explores-sale-of-stake-in-australia-s-largest-lng-plant?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
- ↑ "North West Shelf: Woodside confirms Karratha LNG export plant back up and running | The West Australian". thewest.com.au. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Browse to NWS Project". woodside.com. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Woodside Pushes Back Browse FID Again". www.oedigital.com. Retrieved 2026-05-27.
- ↑ "Peter Coleman calls time on big new LNG projects". www.afr.com. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
- ↑ Reuters. Woodside's stalled Browse LNG project still 'very attractive' -CEO. April 20, 2023.
- ↑ "Shell Is Selling Its Stake in Australian Gas Project to BP - BNN Bloomberg". BNN. 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
- ↑ "Shell, BP wrap up Browse stake sale - LNG Prime". lngprime.com. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
- ↑ "EPA deals 'major blow' to Woodside's multibillion-dollar gas drilling plan at Browse basin". the Guardian. 2024-08-05. Retrieved 2026-05-27.
- ↑ "Confidence waning in Australia's next major LNG project investment". Upstream Online. Mar 20, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Woodside keeps dream alive for Australian megaproject with fresh FPSO work". Upstream Online. Apr 30, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Browse to North West Shelf Project" (PDF). April 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Woodside Energy's delayed Browse LNG project expected to cost $35 billion". Reuters. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
- ↑ "Browse to North West Shelf Project" (PDF). woodside.com. 2026-05-01. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
