NOPSEMA has approved Chevron’s activities related to its Wheatstone project, located in Western Australia.

The Wheatstone Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Project produces hydrocarbon fluids from offshore fields, transports these fluids through flowlines to the Wheatstone platform for initial processing, and then transports gas and condensate through the trunkline to the onshore gas plant for further processing. Resultant LNG and condensate are exported by vessels to the international market, and gas is available to the domestic market via a tie-in with the existing Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline.

The activities will be conducted in Commonwealth Waters, WA State Waters, and on the WA mainland, thus spanning more than one regulatory jurisdiction.

Chevron’s approved activities are associated with the Wheatstone and Iago hydrocarbon system and platform, which comprises the Wheatstone and Iago field wells and associated subsea infrastructure, the platform, and the trunkline from platform to the onshore end point.

Fluid production will be from wells located in the Wheatstone (WA-46-L, WA-47-L, and WA-48-L) and Iago (WA-46-L and WA-48-L) fields located off the Pilbara coast of WA. Additionally, the platform (WA-3-IL) will receive fluids from the Julimar Development Project (JDP) WA-49-L, located south west of WA-48-L, described in the Woodside Energy Julimar Pty Ltd (Woodside) EP.

The offshore section of the trunkline includes a Commonwealth Waters section from the platform to the State Waters boundary (WA-25-PL), and a State Waters section (TPL/25) to the shore crossing through a microtunnel.

The trunkline exits the microtunnel and remains buried onshore for approximately one kilometre before emerging above ground just before the onshore endpoint located upstream of the gas plant. The trunkline crosses the shore at Ashburton North, which is approximately 12 kilometres south-west of Onslow on the Pilbara Coast.