What caused the shutdown of Chevron's Wheatstone LNG plant, and how long did it take to fully resume LNG production?

The shutdown of Chevron's Wheatstone LNG plant was caused by damage from Tropical Cyclone Narelle, which struck the facility in late March and knocked both LNG processing trains offline due to extreme winds damaging several hundred air-cooled heat exchangers (fin fans). While domestic gas production for Western Australian customers resumed in about a week, LNG production returned progressively — and full LNG production was only restored after completion of a significant repair programme, as confirmed by Chevron's announcement on Thursday.

Which specific equipment was most affected by Cyclone Narelle at the Wheatstone LNG facility, and why was its repair particularly challenging?

The equipment most affected was several hundred air-cooled heat exchangers, known as fin fans, which were damaged by extreme winds associated with Tropical Cyclone Narelle. Chevron's director of operations and maintenance for Australia, Danny Woodall, explicitly stated that this damage made the repair programme 'a significant undertaking', underscoring the scale and complexity of restoring critical cooling infrastructure essential for LNG processing train operations.

Chevron resumes full production at Wheatstone LNG after repairs for cyclone damage

Apr 22, 2026

Chevron resumed full production at its Wheatstone LNG plant in Western Australia after repairing cyclone-damaged heat exchangers. The 8.9 million-ton-a-year facility was offline since late March when Tropical Cyclone Narelle caused significant infrastructure damage.

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