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The path of Tropical Cyclone Narelle has left a deep mark on Chevron’s Wheatstone complex, forcing the complete shutdown of its two liquefied natural gas production lines. The magnitude of the damage exceeds incidents recorded in previous seasons, placing the company in a complex logistical scenario.
Severe Impact on Wheatstone Operations
Chevron Australia’s operations management confirms that the refrigeration system has been the most affected by the hurricane-force winds. Specifically, several air-cooled heat exchangers, technically known as fin-fan coolers, have sustained damage that prevents safe hydrocarbon processing.
This facility has an operating capacity of 8.9 million tons per year, and its inactivity represents a setback for the region’s energy export flow. The company has deployed a specialized technical team working continuously to restore system integrity.
Field assessment yields concerning data regarding the severity of the weather event. It has been confirmed that the damage at Wheatstone is considerably more severe than that suffered by the Gorgon plant, the company’s largest asset on Australian soil.
The company anticipates that full recovery of nominal capacity will take several weeks. This situation underscores the vulnerability of processing centers to extreme weather phenomena in the Indian Ocean. Maintenance crews are focusing their efforts on replacing critical components to ensure a return to operability under the strictest industrial safety standards.
Source: Reuters
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