Queue forms for North West Shelf gas supply

摘要

COMPANIES with gas reserves in Western Australia are queueing up to compete for the opportunity to supply much-needed backfill gas into the North West Shelf (NWS) LNG facility.The gas fields that supply the liquefied natural gas facility are in decline, with LNG market watchers believing that spare capacity - or ullage - will start increasing quickly from the early 2020s. The plan had been for the Woodside Petroluem-led Browse offshore gas fields to provide the NWS with the back-up gas required to keep the facility's five LNG trains full. However, that was before the onset of Covid-19 and the collapse in commodity prices and petroleum demand, which prompted the Browse joint venture earlier this year to slam on the development brakes. Chevron's decision last month to market its one-sixth share in the NWS asset has also contributed to "a very fluid and dynamic" market situation for the NWS facility, said one LNG market expert. A number of companies with gas reserves are keen to be a third-party gas supplier, with some now in active conversations with the NWS and others aiming to engage as soon as possible, said multiple sources.