Wheatstone

Location and Geography

• The project is situated in the Northern Carnarvon Basin, approximately 225 kilometers north of Onslow and 100 kilometers north of Barrow Island, Western Australia.
• The onshore facilities are located at the Ashburton North Strategic Industrial Area, 12 kilometers west of Onslow in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Project Overview

• The Wheatstone Project is one of Australia's largest resource developments and the nation's first LNG hub. It is operated by Chevron Australia on behalf of the Wheatstone Joint Venture.
• The project involves the development of the Wheatstone and Iago gas fields, with additional gas supply from the Julimar and Brunello fields.

Ownership and Partners

• The joint venture participants include:
  • Chevron Australia (64.14%)
  • Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) (13.4%)
  • Woodside Energy Group Ltd (13%)
  • Kyushu Electric Power Company (1.46%)
  • PE Wheatstone Pty Ltd, part-owned by JERA (8%)

Offshore Infrastructure

• The offshore processing platform is located in approximately 70-73 meters of water and is connected to the onshore LNG facility via a 225-kilometer subsea trunkline.
• The platform is the largest offshore gas-processing platform ever installed in Australia, with a topside weight of about 36,000-37,000 metric tons. It was installed using a float-over procedure.
• The platform processes gas and associated condensate from the Wheatstone, Iago, Julimar, and Brunello fields. It includes primary processing equipment such as dehydration and compression facilities.

Subsea System and Wells

• The development involves subsea manifolds and subsea trees located at depths ranging between 100 and 260 meters. The wells are drilled from these subsea trees to a depth of about 3 kilometers.
• The project includes three production flowlines tying six drill centers back to the platform, with a total of 23 production wells planned across the Wheatstone and Iago fields.

Onshore Facilities

• The onshore plant at Ashburton North includes two LNG trains with a combined capacity of 8.9 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) and a domestic gas plant.
• The LNG trains process the natural gas by removing impurities and inert gases, chilling it to minus 130 degrees Celsius, and further cooling it to minus 162 degrees Celsius before storage and export.

Production and Sales

• The first shipment of LNG was announced in October 2017, with LNG Train 1 starting production in October 2017 and Train 2 in June 2018. Commercial production of domestic gas began in March 2019.
• A significant portion (approximately 85%) of the LNG produced has been committed to various buyers, including Tokyo Electric Power Company, Kyushu Electric, Chubu Electric, and Tohoku Electric.

Economic and Community Impact

• The project has awarded billions of dollars in contracts for materials and services, with a significant portion going to Australian companies. This has contributed to local economic development and job creation.
• Chevron and its partners have invested more than $250 million in social and critical infrastructure projects in and around Onslow, including upgrades to the airport, health services, roads, recreation facilities, and utilities.
• The project is expected to provide long-term economic benefits to the Australian economy, including employment, government revenue, and local business opportunities.

Environmental Considerations

• The 225-kilometer-long trunkline, which is the biggest diameter gas pipeline in Australia, crosses the shore using a micro-tunnelling technique to reduce environmental impact.

Future Development

• The Julimar-Brunello Phase 3 project, which involves the drilling of up to four development wells tied-back from the Julimar field, received a Financial Investment Decision in April 2023.

The Wheatstone Project is a significant contributor to Australia's energy security and economic growth, while also demonstrating a commitment to local community development and environmental stewardship.