Narelle continues to disrupt Australia LNG despite its weakening from tropical cyclone

Narelle, the former tropical storm that weakened in Australia's north-west, continued to disrupt production at two of Australia’s largest liquefied?gas plants Saturday.

Narelle, the category four tropical storm that has been ravaging Australia's Queensland and Northern Territory ever since it made landfall on?March 20th, hit Western Australia Thursday. It affected LNG plants operated by Chevron, Woodside, and others.

The impact of the storm exacerbated an existing global supply crisis caused by the Iran War.

A spokesperson for Chevron Australia said that the company was working on restoring production at its Gorgon gas facility and Wheatstone after production interruptions due to Narelle.

The spokesperson stated that the interruptions in operations at both Gorgon and Wheatstone were likely due to severe?weather caused by Tropical Cyclone Narelle. We will resume full production in both plants as soon as it is safe.

Gorgon, Australia's biggest LNG export facility, produces 15.6 million metric tonnes a year, with three?trains of processing, while Wheatstone only has two trains, which produce 8.9 million.

Woodside reported that a "production disruption?due the cyclone?continued at its Karratha plant, which is the onshore facility for the North West Shelf Project, while production at its Macedon, Pluto and Pluto facilities was unaffected.

A spokesperson stated that production at the North West Shelf Project will resume once Woodside has mobilised its workforce to their offshore facilities.

The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that Narelle was still dangerous despite her downgrading.

Albanese, speaking from Sydney on televised remarks, said that the aftermath of heavy rain and winds continues. "We are in regular contact with the WA government, and we stand ready to help the recovery."

Weather forecaster in Australia said that the ex-cyclone was east of Geraldton (about 375 km north of Perth, the capital of Western Australia), and was weakening south-southeast as it moved.

The forecaster's website stated that "it is expected to continue track quickly south-southeast across land?while fading further today."

Australia is now the second largest LNG exporter in the world after Qatar shut down production last month due to damage caused by Iranian airstrikes. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran during the U.S.-Israeli war a month earlier has also disrupted global?LNG exports from the Middle East. (Reporting and editing by William Mallard in Sydney, Sam McKeith from Sydney)

(source: Reuters)