Wheatstone
Australian LNG export facility, 8.9 Mtpa; offline since Cyclone Narelle in April 2026.
Last refreshed: 15 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
When will Wheatstone restart after Cyclone Narelle and how much LNG supply is lost?
Timeline for Wheatstone
Mentioned in: TTF trades at EUR 42.26 on ceasefire hope
European Energy MarketsRemained offline weeks after Cyclone Narelle damaged the facility
European Energy Markets: Asian LNG down 8.6% as Wheatstone stays offline- When will Wheatstone LNG restart after Cyclone Narelle?
- No confirmed restart date had been announced as of mid-April 2026. Cyclone Narelle caused significant damage requiring full damage assessment before a timeline could be set.Source: Lowdown / industry
- How much LNG does Wheatstone produce per year?
- Wheatstone has a nameplate capacity of 8.9 million tonnes per annum across two processing trains, operated by Chevron from Carnarvon Basin offshore fields.
- What is Cyclone Narelle's impact on global LNG supply?
- Together with a Gorgon maintenance window, the Wheatstone outage contributed to 8 LNG cargoes being diverted from European to Asian buyers in April 2026, tightening European supply.Source: Lowdown
Background
Wheatstone is a Major LNG export facility on Australia's northwest coast, operated by Chevron with a nameplate capacity of 8.9 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa). It was taken offline in April 2026 after Cyclone Narelle, a category-5 storm, caused significant damage to the facility. The outage removed a meaningful volume from global LNG supply at a time when Asian buyers were already competing aggressively for spot cargoes driven by JKM-TTF price parity.
Wheatstone is located near Onslow, Western Australia, and consists of two LNG processing trains. It produces LNG from Chevron-operated offshore gas fields in the Carnarvon Basin, including the Wheatstone and Iago fields. Chevron holds the largest share, with additional stakes held by Kyushu Electric, JERA, and Woodside. The facility began operations in 2017 and had been running at or near capacity.
The simultaneous outage of Wheatstone alongside a planned maintenance window at the nearby Gorgon facility amplified the supply shock. Gorgon restarted on 29 March 2026, partially offsetting the shortfall, but with Wheatstone still offline the net impact on Australian LNG exports remained negative in April 2026, contributing to the diversion of eight cargoes away from European buyers.