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Australian LNG Exports: Companies, Volumes, and Destinations
Key LNG Export Companies and Projects
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Chevron Australia
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Gorgon Project (Western Australia): Operated by Chevron, Gorgon is Australia’s largest LNG project, producing 16.8 Mt in 2022, a 20% increase from 2021. Located on Barrow Island, it has a capacity of 15.6 Mt per year (Mtpa) across three trains.
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Wheatstone Project (Western Australia): Also Chevron-operated, Wheatstone produced significant volumes, contributing to Western Australia’s dominance. Its capacity is 8.9 Mtpa across two trains.
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Woodside Energy Group
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North West Shelf (NWS) Project (Western Australia): Operated by Woodside, NWS is one of Australia’s oldest LNG projects, operational since 1989. It produced 1.6 Mt more in 2022 than in 2021, with a capacity of 16.3 Mtpa across five trains. Despite aging gas fields, it remains a cornerstone of Australia’s LNG exports.
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Pluto LNG (Western Australia): Woodside’s Pluto project, with a single train of 4.3 Mtpa, continues to contribute to export volumes. The upcoming Scarborough project, expected online by 2026, will further bolster Woodside’s output.
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INPEX
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Ichthys LNG (Northern Territory): Operated by Japan’s INPEX, Ichthys saw a 900% production surge in 2019 during its ramp-up phase and contributed 7.529 Mt in 2019 alone. With a capacity of 8.9 Mtpa, it plays a vital role in the Northern Territory’s 11% share of national exports in 2022.
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Shell
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Prelude FLNG (Western Australia): Shell operates the world’s first floating LNG facility, Prelude, with a capacity of 3.6 Mtpa. Fully operational since 2020, it added 1.9 Mt from its loading port in 2023.
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Queensland Curtis LNG (QCLNG) (Queensland): Operated by Shell’s QGC Pty Ltd, QCLNG has two trains with a combined capacity of 8.5 Mtpa. It is a key contributor to Queensland’s coal-seam gas-based LNG exports.
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Santos
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Darwin LNG (Northern Territory): Santos operates this single-train facility with a capacity of 3.7 Mtpa. It shipped 1.3 Mt in 2022 but faces a hiatus until the Barossa field comes online in 2025.
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Gladstone LNG (GLNG) (Queensland): Santos-led GLNG, with two trains and a capacity of 7.8 Mtpa, supports Queensland’s export volumes.
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Origin Energy and ConocoPhillips
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Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) (Queensland): Operated by ConocoPhillips and co-owned by Origin Energy, APLNG has two trains with a combined capacity of 9 Mtpa. Queensland’s three Curtis Island projects (QCLNG, GLNG, and APLNG) collectively produced 23.3 Mt in 2022, down 4% from 2021.
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Export Volumes: A Snapshot
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2019: Australia became the world’s largest LNG exporter, shipping 77.5 Mt, surpassing Qatar’s 75 Mt.
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2022: A record 81.4 Mt was exported, with Western Australia contributing 49 Mt, Queensland 23.3 Mt, and the Northern Territory 9.2 Mt.
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2023: Exports fell to 80.7 Mt, reflecting aging fields and supply constraints. The first eight months of 2023 saw 53.9 Mt shipped, a 1.3% increase year-on-year, placing Australia behind the U.S. (57.4 Mt) but ahead of Qatar (53.1 Mt).
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2024: Fiscal year 2024 (July 2023–June 2024) recorded 175.9 million megaliters (approximately 79.7 Mt) exported, with a value of A$68.8 billion, down from A$92.8 billion in 2022 due to softer prices.
Export Destinations: Asia’s Dominance
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Japan (36% in 2022-23, 34% in Jan-Aug 2023): Japan reclaimed the top spot in 2022, importing 31.2 Mt (39% of Australia’s exports), up 14.1% from 2021. In the first eight months of 2023, Japan took 18.3 Mt, a 14.1% decline from 2022 but still accounting for 34% of shipments. Japan relies on Australia for 43% of its LNG imports, critical for electricity and heating in cities like Tokyo.
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China (28% in 2022-23, 30% in Jan-Aug 2023): China imported 22.6 Mt in 2022, down 28.5% from 2021 due to economic slowdowns. In Jan-Aug 2023, exports to China rose 15.6% to 16.2 Mt, comprising 30% of Australia’s LNG. China’s industrial demand and shift from coal to gas drive its 35% reliance on Australian LNG.
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South Korea (14% in 2022-23, 31.1% in 2023): South Korea imported 7.0 Mt in Jan-Aug 2023, down 6.9% year-on-year, but remained a key market, accounting for 25% of its LNG imports from Australia.
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Taiwan (11% in 2022-23): Taiwan, heavily dependent on imports, relies on Australia for 37% of its LNG, supporting energy security.
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Southeast Asia (11.5% in Jan-Aug 2023): Emerging markets like Thailand (2.5 Mt), Singapore (1.9 Mt), and Malaysia (1.5 Mt) saw a 28.5% increase in Australian LNG imports in Jan-Aug 2023, reflecting growing demand as these nations transition from coal.
Challenges and Future Outlook
Conclusion
Update from LNG Prime on Woodside gets OK for NWS extension project
The Australian government has been considering a proposal to extend the operating life of the NWS gas plant in Karratha, Western Australia, beyond the expiry of its current approval in 2030, until 2070.
“Following the consideration of rigorous scientific and other advice including submissions from a wide cross-section of the community, I have today made a proposed decision to approve this development, subject to strict conditions, particularly relating to the impact of air emissions levels from the operation of an expanded onshore Karratha gas plant,” Environment Minister Murray Watt said in a statement.
“I have provided the proponent with an opportunity to comment within the statutory timeframe of 10 business days, and I will consider the proponent’s comments before a final decision is made,” he said.
In December 2024, Woodside and its partners received environmental approval from the Western Australian government.
Woodside welcomed the federal government’s proposed decision to grant environmental approval for the NWS project extension in a separate statement on Wednesday.
The company also noted that it has received the proposed conditions, which relate to matters including cultural heritage management and air quality, and is reviewing them to understand their application.
Woodside executive VP and COO Australia Liz Westcott said the proposed approval will provide “certainty for the ongoing operation of the North West Shelf project following rigorous assessments and appeals.”
“This nationally significant infrastructure has supplied reliable and affordable energy to Western Australia for 40 years and international customers for 35 years and will be able to continue its contribution to energy security,” Westcott said.
In August last year, Woodside said it was preparing to shut one of the five trains at its North West Shelf LNG terminal due to declining natural gas supplies.
The plant has five LNG trains, launched between 1989 and 2008, with a capacity of 16.9 million tonnes per year. Most of these volumes supply customers in Japan.
In September 2022, the Woodside-operated Karratha gas plant, part of the North West Shelf project, shipped its 6000th cargo of LNG.
The facility also has domestic gas trains, condensate stabilization units, and LPG units.
Australia’s oldest LNG plant has been liquefying gas from fields located off the north-west coast of Australia since 1989.
However, these fields are slowly running out of gas and the project is now shifting its focus towards a different business model aimed at processing gas from third parties.
Back in 2022, Woodside started sending gas from its Pluto offshore field to the LNG plant at Karratha.
This accelerated production of Pluto gas followed the start-up of the Pluto-KGP interconnector.
Woodside operates both the NWS and Pluto LNG facilities. Its partners in NWS include BP, Chevron, Japan Australia LNG, and Shell.
In December 2024, Chevron and Woodside agreed to an asset swap under which Woodside will exit the Wheatstone LNG project and Chevron will sell its stake in the NWS project.
The post Woodside gets OK for NWS extension project and an update to the Austrailan LNG export market appeared first on Energy News Beat.
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