Gorgon commences cool-down

Chevron Australia has moved another step closer to completion of the Gorgon gas project, with a commissioning LNG cargo arriving at Barrow Island to cool down the storage and loading facilities prior to commencement of exports.

The first exports are planned for early 2016, almost a year and a half later than the originally planned.

Chevron Australia managing director Roy Krzywosinski said the commissioning cargo was a significant milestone for the project.

“The commissioning cargo is essential for the final testing of critical systems and to efficiently cool down the plant prior to the start of LNG production,” he said.

The gas, which will be sourced in the offshore Gorgon and Jansz-Io fields, will be refined and then chilled to -162 degrees Celsius in the liquefaction plant.

At that temperature, its volume is reduced around 600-fold.

Chevron co-owns the project with a consortium including Shell and ExxonMobil.

This milestone comes less than a month after Chevron signed a non-binding 10 million tonne gas deal with China Huadian Green Energy, one of the five largest state owned generators in China.

The 10-year deal would commence in 2020, with 1mt supplied per year.