Chevron’s unit in Australia is working to resume full production at its 8.9 mtpa Wheatstone LNG terminal near Onslow following a fault which has impacted about 25 percent of the plant’s production.
“The cause has been identified and restart activities have commenced,” a Chevron Australia spokesperson told LNG Prime on Thursday.
The spokesperson added that the Wheatstone domestic gas facilities are unaffected.
Workers at Chevron’s Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG plants have started protected industrial action last Friday after talks between the energy giant and unions ended without an agreement.
There are currently stoppages and specific work bans occurring across Chevron’s Wheatstone and Gorgon sites for periods during the day.
However, the Offshore Alliance, which includes the Maritime Union of Australia and Australian Workers’ Union, has provided Chevron with a notice that work bans may apply for up to 24 hours a day from September 14.
The Offshore Alliance said in a social media post on that the “1411 turbine has tripped on the Wheatstone downstream facility and one of the trains is now down to 50 percent capacity.”
“All of this kicked in whilst the plant was being manned by Chevron’s inexperienced and non-competent BCP workforce,” the alliance said.
Chevron recently asked Australia’s Fair Work Commission to help resolve its ongoing dispute with unions representing its workers on the Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG projects.
The commission will hold its first hearing on September 22.
“We remain committed to attaining an agreement that achieves market competitive outcomes which are in the interests of both our employees and our company,” Chevron’s spokesperson said.
“We will continue to take steps to maintain safe and reliable operations in the event of disruption at our facilities,” the spokesperson added.