Chevron ships first Gorgon LNG

Oil and gas giant Chevron on Sunday said it has dispatched its first cargo from the US$54 billion Gorgon LNG project on Barrow Island off the northwest coast of Western Australia.

The cargo is set to be delivered to Chubu Electric Power in Japan, Chevron said in a statement.

In December 2009, Chevron and Chubu Electric signed a long-term sales and purchase agreement for 1.44 million tons of LNG per yea for a period of 25 years. Additionally, Chubu Electric has a 0.417 percent stake in the giant LNG project.

The cargo will be delivered aboard Chevron’s 160,000 cbm Asia Excellence, the vessel that delivered the cool-down cargo to the Gorgon LNG facility in mid-January.

According to the energy giant, its unit, Chevron Shipping Company is in the final stages of its “largest shipbuilding and fleet modernization program in recent history”, which includes the addition of six new LNG carriers to its operated fleet.

Gorgon is the largest single resource project ever developed in Australia and one of the world’s largest natural gas projects. Chevron has earlier this month started producing liquefied natural gas at its Gorgon LNG project.

The plant on Barrow Island has the capacity to produce 15.6 mtpa of LNG using feedgas from the Gorgon and Jansz-Io gas fields, located within the Greater Gorgon area, between 80 miles (130 km) and 136 miles (220 km) off the northwest coast of Western Australia.

The project is operated by Chevron that owns a 47.3 percent stake, while other shareholders are ExxonMobil (25 percent), Shell (25 percent), Osaka Gas (1.25 percent), Tokyo Gas (1 percent) and Chubu Electric Power (0.417 percent).

LNG World News Staff