Output at Chevron's Australia Gorgon gas plant resumes

[MELBOURNE] Chevron said production at its Gorgon liquefied natural gas plant off Western Australia has resumed after it discovered a minor gas leak at 1 of its 3 processing units, called trains, nearly 2 weeks ago.

The energy producer said in a statement late on Friday (Nov 26) a probe into the incident that occurred on Nov 16 was under way.

The leak was detected on piping associated with the dehydration unit on Train 1 and the unit was shut down as a precautionary measure, Chevron said on Nov 17.

"Production at Gorgon LNG Train 1 has resumed following the completion of repair work," Chevron said in a statement. The issue was identified as part of routine duties, it said.

Chevron is 47 per cent owner and operator of the 15.6 million tonnes-a-year Gorgon LNG project.

Trains 2 and 3 at the plant have remained running, and the company has continued to deliver LNG to customers and gas to Western Australia, Chevron said.

Gorgon LNG is co-owned by Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell and Japanese utilities Osaka Gas, Tokyo Gas and JERA.

REUTERS