Wheatstone LNG Terminal
| Part of the Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker, a Global Energy Monitor project. |
Wheatstone LNG Terminal is an LNG export terminal in Australia with units that are operating.
Location
Table 1: Location details
| Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| T1 | Ashburton North, Pilbara, Western Australia, Australia | -21.6978845, 115.001141 (exact) |
| T2 | Ashburton North, Pilbara, Western Australia, Australia | -21.6978845, 115.001141 (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] | 4.45 mtpa[1] | 8.9 mtpa | False | – |
| T2 | export | operating[1] | 4.45 mtpa[1] | 8.9 mtpa | False | – |
Table 3: Cost
| Name | Facility type | Cost | Total known terminal costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | export | –[2] | US$30,000,000,000 |
| T2 | export | –[2] | US$30,000,000,000 |
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] | – | – | – | 2017[1] | – |
| T2 | export | operating[1] | – | – | – | 2018[1] | – |
Ownership
Table 5: Ownership
| Name | Facility type | Status | Owners | Parent companies | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | export | operating[1] | Mitsubishi Corp [3%]; JOGMEC [3%]; NYK [0%]; Kyushu Electric Power Co Inc [1%]; Woodside Energy Group Ltd [13%]; JERA Co Inc [0%]; Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co [13%]; Chevron Corp [64%][1][1][1][1][1][1][1][1] | Chevron Corp [64.1%]; Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co [13.4%]; Woodside Energy Group Ltd [13.0%]; JOGMEC [3.4%]; Mitsubishi Corp [3.2%]; Kyushu Electric Power Co Inc [1.5%]; NYK [0.8%]; Chubu Electric Power Co Inc [0.3%]; Tokyo Electric Power Co [0.3%] | Chevron[1] |
| T2 | export | operating[1] | Mitsubishi Corp [3%]; JOGMEC [3%]; NYK [0%]; Kyushu Electric Power Co Inc [1%]; Woodside Energy Group Ltd [13%]; JERA Co Inc [0%]; Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co [13%]; Chevron Corp [64%][1][1][1][1][1][1][1][1] | Chevron Corp [64.1%]; Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co [13.4%]; Woodside Energy Group Ltd [13.0%]; JOGMEC [3.4%]; Mitsubishi Corp [3.2%]; Kyushu Electric Power Co Inc [1.5%]; NYK [0.8%]; Chubu Electric Power Co Inc [0.3%]; Tokyo Electric Power Co [0.3%] | Chevron[1] |
Background
In 2017, Wheatstone LNG Terminal was an LNG terminal under development in Western Australia, Australia.[3] In 2015, costs were estimated at $30 billion.[4]
In 2017 it was discovered that the petroleum resource rent tax had failed to collect billions of dollars in revenue north-west Australia. According to research at Monash University, Wheatstone LNG Terminal, Pluto LNG Terminal, and Ichthys LNG Terminal are not subect to commonwealth royalities.[5]
Chevron planned to complete its Wheatstone LNG project summer of 2017.[6]
Chevron announced in October 2017 it has started producing LNG at Wheatstone project in Australia. It plans to ship its first cargo soon. Woodside plans a 15% production growth over the next three years.[7]
Reuters reported in October 2017 that the LNG market will be sharply focused on how Wheatstone progresses following the troubled beginnings at Chevron’s larger Gorgon LNG Terminal. Natural gas fields offshore of Western Australia feed both Gorgon and Wheatstone.[7]
Reuters reported in October 2017 that Wheatstone is the sixth out of eight projects in a $200 billion Australian LNG construction boom with two more facilities to be launched. The two remaining are Shell’s Prelude Floating LNG Terminal and Ichthys LNG Terminal owned by Japan's Ichthys.[7]
In June 2018, the terminal's second train became operational.[8]
In December 2020, Chevron temporarily shut down a gas-liquid separator unit following the discovery of an "anomaly" in an inlet separator vessel nozzle.[9]
In September 2023, the terminal was impacted by a workers' strike in a dispute over wages and conditions at Chevron’s Gorgon and Wheatstone operations.[10] The strike lasted until October 2023.[11]
In September 2023, the company was working to resume full production following a fault which has impacted 25% of the plant’s production. The strike was called off in mid-October.[12][13][14]
In December 2024, Woodside and Chevron announced an asset swap in which Chevron would acquire Woodside's 13% interest in the Wheatstone project, pending regulatory approvals. As of mid-2026, the deal had not yet completed.[15]
In March 2026, operations at the terminal were suspended as a result of damage from Tropical Cyclone Narelle. Repairs were estimated to take several weeks. A week later, the plant was operating at 50 percent capacity. By the end of April, full production was restored.[16][17][18]
Environmental Impact
In 2015 The Guardian reported that Australia’s top 20 emitting facilities include the Wheatstone LNG Terminal, Gorgon LNG Terminal, Ichthys LNG Terminal, and Pluto LNG Terminal.[19]
An 2011 EPA report on the Wheatstone project claim it would “substantially” increase the West Australian state’s total greenhouse gas output, emitting 10m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. This was a 13.5% increase on the state’s 2006-07 emission levels.[4]
In 2012 Wheatstone applied and was granted an exemption to state emissions regulation.[4]
In 2015 the Prime Minister of Australia approved rules for its Direct Action climate policy. Energy watchers claim will allow LNGs to increase greenhouse emissions.[19]
Bloomberg published an article in 2017 claiming the Wheatstone LNG Terminal is designed to let other producers use its equipment to liquefy their gas. Woodside is pursuing a similar strategy. It is courting energy giants as Exxon and Shell and trying to convince them to let go of plans for building new LNG facilities in favor of feeding gas into its Pluto LNG Terminal.[6]
The Wheatstone and Woodside strategy of sharing facilities with competitors is likely a lesson from Curtis Island. The island's three plants in Australia (Australia Pacific LNG Terminal, Gladstone LNG Terminal, Queensland Curtis LNG Terminal) as an example of having exorbitant infrastructure duplication that it could have saved $10 billion on the combined $70 billion LNG projects. The three LNGs built separate jetties that now crowd the coastal land. Shared facilities, pipelines, and roads could have produced the same amount of fuel with less damage to the coast.[6]
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 (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 https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jan/04/west-australian-30bn-lng-project-allowed-no-carbon-emission-targets.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Wheatstone LNG Terminal, Wikipedia, accessed April 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Calla Wahlquist,"West Australian $30bn LNG project allowed to have no carbon emission targets," The Guardian, January 3, 2015.
- ↑ Gareth Hutchens,"Australia must charge royalties on natural gas or lose billions, says expert," The Guardian, February 8, 2017.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Dan Murtaugh, "Energy Titans Get Schooled in Sharing as Billions Seen Blown," Bloomberg, May 9, 2017.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Sonali Paul, Henning Gloystein, "Chevron starts LNG output at Australia's Wheatstone, first cargo expected in weeks," Reuters, October 8, 2017.
- ↑ Chevron starts second production unit at Wheatstone LNG in Australia, Reuters, Jun. 15, 2018
- ↑ "GIIGNL 2021 Annual Report”, page 38, GIIGNL, accessed May 4, 2021.
- ↑ "Chevron LNG Workers go on Strike, Threatening Global Supply". GCaptain.com. Sept 8, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Australian Union Workers Call Off Strikes at Gorgon, Wheatstone LNG". Natural Gas Intelligence. Oct 18, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Chevron says working to resume full Wheatstone LNG production". LNGPrime. Sept 14, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Chevron's strike-hit Australia LNG facility resumes full production". Reuters. Sept 21, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG workers call off strike - LNG Prime". lngprime.com. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ "Woodside and Chevron swap oil & gas and CCS assets offshore Australia - Offshore Energy". www.offshore-energy.biz. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ "Chevron says repairs to Wheatstone gas facility to take weeks". Reuters. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ "Chevron says Wheatstone LNG plant operating at 50 percent capacity - LNG Prime". lngprime.com. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ "Chevron resumes full production at Wheatstone LNG after repairs for cyclone damage — TradingView News". www.tradingview.com. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Lenore Taylor,"Direct Action 'safeguards' will allow industry to increase emissions – analysts," The Guardian, September 2, 2015.
