Four key gas facilities in Western Australia, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the state’s domestic supply, stay offline after ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle battered the region. Woodside’s Karratha Gas Plant, Chevron’s Wheatstone and Gorgon projects, and Santos’ Varanus Island operations all face disruptions as companies race to restart amid global LNG shortages.
Affected Facilities
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle, now downgraded to a tropical low, intensified to category four strength before slamming Pilbara islands with gale-force winds. Gusts hit 159 km/h on Barrow Island, site of Chevron’s Gorgon facility. One of Gorgon’s three LNG production trains tripped offline around 3 p.m. Thursday, while Chevron’s Wheatstone offshore platform shut down midday, halting feed gas to onshore plants near Onslow and suspending LNG and domestic gas output.
A Chevron spokesperson noted, “As the platform supplies feed gas to Wheatstone’s onshore facilities near Onslow, LNG and domestic gas production has been suspended.”
Woodside reported a production interruption at its Karratha Gas Plant, which processes gas from the North West Shelf project. The company stated production will resume once crews mobilize to offshore facilities.
Santos’ Varanus Island plant, 75 km off the Pilbara coast, tripped after winds peaked at 180 km/h Thursday evening. A spokesperson said, “Once weather conditions have abated and personnel can safely re-enter the plant, we’ll return to normal operations.”
Restoration Efforts and Reserves
Energy and climate journalist Peter Milne calls the outages “a big deal” but urges calm. “It’s going to take some time for the weather to calm down so the workers can get out there, fly offshore to the platforms, inspect them, make sure everything’s okay, and fire them up again,” he said. “The unknown is how long that will take.”
Milne highlights reserves in the Dampier-Bunbury pipeline and underground storage, noting gas powers much of the southwest’s electricity mix, which the government prioritizes.
RATCH Australia, operator of the Kemerton gas-fired power station near Bunbury, monitors closely but anticipates no major issues.
Government Response
WA Energy Minister Amber Jade Sanderson assured no disruptions to domestic supply, stating the plants in cyclone-prone areas are well-prepared. A government spokesperson confirmed offshore workforces demobilized safely and added, “The state government continues to work with each company to ensure domestic customers are receiving a consistent supply of gas.”
Potential Impacts
Independent gas analyst Jeanette Roberts warns of poor timing amid rising living costs and fuel prices. “When you look at the cost of living and fuel prices, the impact of the triple whammy could be really quite significant,” she said.
Roberts recalls the 2008 Varanus Island explosion, which cut a third of WA’s supply for two months, affecting Pilbara giants like BHP and Rio Tinto, Burrup fertilisers, and 150 small businesses.
These outages hit as global LNG markets tighten due to Middle East tensions. Qatar suspended shipments after Iran’s Strait of Hormuz blockade and missile strikes on a major gas plant.
