Cyclone Narelle disrupts 8% of global LNG supply from Australia

Cyclone Narelle knocks out key Australian LNG supply, tightening global marketSummary:Cyclone Narelle disrupts LNG output in Western Australia

Chevron halts production at Gorgon and Wheatstone plants

Woodside’s North West Shelf impacted via supply disruptions

Affected facilities account for ~8% of global LNG supply

Offshore platforms also knocked offline by severe weather

Adds to global LNG tightness amid prior Qatar outagesTropical Cyclone Narelle has triggered a major disruption to Western Australia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector, forcing shutdowns at key export facilities and tightening an already constrained global market. The storm, which intensified as it tracked along the coast, has curtailed output at several major plants that collectively account for a significant share of global LNG supply.Chevron confirmed that production has ceased at its Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG facilities, both located on Barrow Island, as a result of severe weather conditions and safety protocols. The disruption has also affected upstream gas flows that supply Woodside’s North West Shelf plant, further compounding the impact across Australia’s LNG export chain.Together, these facilities represent roughly 8% of global LNG supply, making the outage highly material for international energy markets. The scale of the disruption is amplified by its timing, with global LNG markets already under pressure due to earlier outages in Qatar and heightened geopolitical risks tied to the Middle East conflict.The cyclone has not only halted processing operations but also forced some offshore gas platforms offline, disrupting feedstock flows into LNG plants. This highlights the vulnerability of interconnected supply chains, where upstream production constraints can ripple through to export capacity even if liquefaction infrastructure remains intact.Chevron indicated that the shutdowns were implemented as a precaution to protect personnel and infrastructure, and that production will resume once conditions are deemed safe. However, the duration of the disruption remains uncertain, depending on weather conditions and the time required to safely restart operations.From a market perspective, the outage adds to a growing list of supply-side shocks in global energy markets. LNG prices are particularly sensitive to such disruptions given the limited spare capacity and strong demand from Asia and Europe. The loss of Australian supply—one of the world’s largest exporters—risks tightening spot markets further and increasing competition for available cargoes.More broadly, the event underscores the increasing intersection of weather-related risks and energy security. As extreme weather events intensify, disruptions to critical infrastructure such as LNG export hubs are becoming a more frequent driver of volatility across global energy markets.
This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.

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