Cyclone Narelle Wreaks Havoc on Australia's LNG Production

A severe tropical cyclone named Narelle has disrupted operations at two of Australia's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, exacerbating the global LNG supply crunch amidst a Middle Eastern conflict. The cyclone impacted plants managed by Chevron and Woodside in Western Australia.

As the world's second-largest LNG exporter after Qatar's recent production halt due to Iranian strikes, Australia's Chevron Gorgon and Wheatstone facilities suffered outages. Gorgon is the nation's largest LNG export facility, and Wheatstone, located offshore, both halted operations due to safety concerns.

The disruption extends to Woodside's Karratha gas plant, part of the North West Shelf project. Meanwhile, Santos confirmed a temporary shutdown of its Darwin LNG facility for maintenance. Authorities in Western Australia are assessing cyclone damage, with further market updates awaited.

(With inputs from agencies.)