Chevron Corp is inspecting propane heat exchangers on train 2 at its Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Australia, the company said on Wednesday, following maintenance that was due to be completed by July 11.
The inspections are delaying the restart of the train, two industry sources told Reuters, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The scheduled maintenance work on the train is mechanically complete, a Chevron spokesman said, without giving details on any reason for a delay.
"Inspections are ongoing on the Gorgon LNG Train 2 propane heat exchangers. The relevant regulatory bodies have been informed," he said.
"Maintenance turnarounds are a regular part of safely operating natural gas plants and provide an opportunity to undertake various inspections, repairs and equipment change-outs to ensure safe and reliable operations."
Chevron in May started maintenance on train 2 that was scheduled to be complete by July 11, according to a notice on the company's website.
The three-train Chevron-operated Gorgon project, one of the world's largest natural gas projects, can produce 15.6 million tonnes of LNG a year, the company's website says.
Chevron's Australian subsidiary holds a controlling 47.3% in Gorgon. Exxon Mobil Corp and Royal Dutch Shell each have 25%, and the rest is held by Japan's Osaka Gas, Tokyo Gas, and JERA.
Production is continuing at Gorgon's other two trains, according to one of the industry sources.
(Reporting by Jessica Jaganathan; Editing by Tom Hogue)
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