Major Australian LNG plants hit by outages due to cyclone

A cyclone off the coast of Australia caused disruptions at two of the world’s largest LNG facilities, Chevron reported on Friday, amid soaring global demand driven by turmoil in the Middle East.

The Gorgon and Wheatstone plants in Western Australia, which together account for roughly 5% of global liquefied natural gas supply, experienced outages on Thursday afternoon as Tropical Cyclone Narelle approached. “Chevron Australia is actively working to restore production at both Gorgon and Wheatstone facilities following the interruptions,” the company said, adding that full operations will resume when conditions are safe.

The ongoing US-Israel conflict in Iran has further disrupted global oil and LNG supplies. Qatar, the world’s second-largest LNG exporter, has seen shipments decline as tankers avoid the Strait of Hormuz, pushing LNG prices in parts of Asia—heavily reliant on imports—more than double.

In Western Australia, Chevron and Woodside Energy are the two leading natural gas producers, together contributing over 15% of the world’s LNG exports.