Woodside Energy has temporarily shut down its North West Shelf (NWS) liquefied natural gas project in Western Australia due to Cyclone Narelle. The shutdown affects all four operational LNG trains, gas turbine power generators, and the domestic gas plant at the onshore Karratha Gas Plant. This interruption follows standard cyclone preparation procedures, including the demobilization of the offshore workforce.

Project Capacity and Context

The NWS project, Australia's oldest LNG facility, currently has a nameplate production capacity of 14.3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). This capacity was reduced from 16.9 mtpa after Train 2 was taken offline last year due to declining gas feedstock supplies. The shutdown occurs shortly after Santos halted production at its Darwin LNG facility, contributing to a broader context where approximately 20% of global LNG production is reportedly lost, partly due to the Middle East war. Australia's total LNG production capacity stands at about 88 mtpa from various offshore, onshore, and coal seam gas projects.

Operational Status and Safety

Woodside's priority is the safety of personnel, the environment, and assets. The company is monitoring the cyclone and expects to restart production once it can safely remobilize staff to offshore facilities. Production continues at Woodside's other assets, the Macedon and Pluto projects, and domestic gas supply to customers in Western Australia is being maintained from the company's portfolio. Any material impact on production or assets will be disclosed to the market in line with regulatory obligations.