Cyclone Narelle disrupts Western Australia’s LNG and gas production amid global energy shortages
Consensus Summary
Cyclone Narelle caused significant disruptions to Western Australia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) and gas production facilities, exacerbating global energy supply concerns. The cyclone knocked offline Chevron’s Gorgon and Wheatstone plants, Woodside’s Karratha Gas Plant, and Santos’ Varanus Island facility, collectively accounting for nearly two-thirds of WA’s domestic gas supply. Offshore workers were evacuated from multiple sites, with remote operations initiated to manage the outages. While WA’s Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson assured there was no disruption to domestic gas supply, the state government later acknowledged evacuations and ongoing efforts to restore production. The closures coincide with broader global energy instability, including Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz halting Qatar’s LNG exports and missile attacks disrupting UAE production. Analysts warn of potential widespread impacts, drawing parallels to past incidents like the 2008 Varanus Island explosion that caused prolonged supply shortages. The situation highlights vulnerabilities in Australia’s energy infrastructure amid escalating geopolitical tensions.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Cyclone Narelle caused outages at Chevron’s Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG plants in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, with Wheatstone going offline around midday Thursday and Gorgon experiencing a partial outage around 3pm Thursday
- Chevron evacuated offshore workers from Wheatstone (225km offshore) and Barrow Island (50km offshore) facilities by Tuesday and Thursday respectively, operating remotely thereafter
- Santos’ LNG plant on Varanus Island (75km offshore) was knocked offline by Cyclone Narelle, with winds reaching 180 km/h early Thursday evening
- Woodside’s Karratha Gas Plant suffered a production interruption, contributing to the shutdown of nearly two-thirds of WA’s domestic gas supply over the past three months
- WA Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson stated that domestic gas supply remains uninterrupted and that operators are well prepared for cyclones, with no reports of damage to date
- The cyclone passed just off Coral Bay on Friday, 1000km north of Perth, after tracking southward along WA’s northwest coastline
- Qatar’s LNG exports were halted due to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with QatarEnergy’s Ras Laffan facility struck by Iranian missiles last week
- The UAE’s Das Island LNG export facility (accounting for 30% of China’s and 53% of India’s LNG imports) experienced partial disruptions after missile attacks
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Chevron’s Wheatstone and Gorgon plants were knocked offline on Thursday, with Barrow Island’s partial outage occurring a few hours after Wheatstone’s shutdown
- Santos’ LNG plant in Darwin was already offline for upgrades before Cyclone Narelle struck
- The Wheatstone offshore platform was operated remotely from Perth since Tuesday after staff evacuations
- The closures coincide with all of Qatar’s LNG exports being halted by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with QatarEnergy’s Ras Laffan facility accounting for 17% of Qatar’s output
- Four major gas facilities (Chevron’s Gorgon, Wheatstone, Woodside’s Karratha, and Santos’ Varanus Island) account for almost two-thirds of WA’s domestic gas supply over the past three months
- Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle intensified to category four strength on Thursday, with gale-force winds peaking at 159 km/h on Barrow Island and 180 km/h on Varanus Island
- Woodside’s Karratha Gas Plant is linked to the North West Shelf project, with production expected to resume after mobilizing offshore workforces
- The state government initially denied disruptions to domestic gas supply but later acknowledged evacuations of offshore workforces by Chevron, Santos, and Woodside
- Jeanette Roberts (independent gas analyst) noted that LNG flow interruptions in WA had widespread repercussions, citing a 2008 Varanus Island explosion that shut down a third of WA’s domestic supply for two months
- RATCH Australia (operating Kemerton power station) stated it was not anticipating material disruptions but monitoring the situation carefully
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- NEWSCOMAU states Santos’ Darwin LNG plant was already offline for upgrades before Cyclone Narelle, while ABC does not mention this pre-existing outage
- ABC reports Cyclone Narelle intensified to category four strength on Thursday, but NEWSCOMAU does not specify the cyclone’s peak intensity
- NEWSCOMAU claims WA Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said there was no disruption to domestic gas supply and no reports of damage to date, while ABC notes the minister initially denied disruptions but later acknowledged evacuations
- ABC states Woodside’s Karratha Gas Plant is responsible for processing gas from the company’s North West Shelf project, but NEWSCOMAU does not mention this specific connection
- NEWSCOMAU reports the Wheatstone platform was operated remotely from Perth since Tuesday, while ABC does not specify the exact date of remote operations
Source Articles
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle causes outages at major WA gas facilities
Gas giants Woodside, Santos and Chevron confirm they have suffered production outages at its gas as a result of Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle....
Cyclone’s latest blow to global energy supply
Major gas mines off the WA coast have been evacuated and knocked offline by Tropical Cyclone Narelle, all while global supply is already constrained....