Chevron to increase Wheatstone production rates by 5%, faces union work stoppages

Chevron Australia plans to add capacity from the Wheatstone domestic gas plant near Onslow, Western Australia, following technical enhancements and plant modifications to increase production rates.

The official nameplate capacity of the Chevron-operated plant will increase to 215 terajoules/day from 205 terajoules/day, an increase of 5%, the company said in a release Aug. 23. 

Unspecified plant modifications and subsequent high-rate production trial undertaken over the past year confirmed the plant was able to maintain safe and reliable domestic gas production at increased rates across a range of temperature conditions and operating environments, said Mark Hatfield, Chevron Australia managing director. 

“Chevron is one of WA’s major domestic gas suppliers, currently operating facilities that produce almost half of the state’s gas supply, helping to underpin energy security and economic prosperity,” Hatfield said.  

Further work will be undertaken over the coming months to test even higher domestic gas production rates, he continued. 

The news came days before word of a possible worker strike at the Chevron-operated Wheatstone and Gorgon infrastructure beginning next week due to an ongoing labor dispute. Offshore Alliance, which represents the Australian Workers’ Union and the Maritime Union of Australia, notified Chevron Aug. 28 of industrial action including work stoppages and work bans.

Wheatstone a joint venture between the Australian subsidiaries of Chevron (64.14%), Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co. (KUFPEC) (13.4%), Woodside Energy Group Ltd. (13%), and Kyushu Electric Power Co. (1.46%), together with PE Wheatstone Pty Ltd., part-owned by JERA (8%).