Chevron is facing safety concerns at the Gorgon liquified natural gas (LNG) project in Western Australia, with reports of dangerous cracks being discovered at the facility.
According to media reports, a routine shutdown of the train two processing line at the Western Australian plant identified thousands of cracks – some up to a metre long and 30mm deep – in heat exchanges and propane kettles, which are used to store explosive chemicals.
Chevron is said to be conducting urgent testing of the other heat exchanges and propane kettles at the facility, which were originally manufactured offshore in South Korea.
As a result, Weld Australia has called on Chevron to leverage the skills and experience of local Australian welders to rectify the issues.
Weld Australia chief executive officer Geoff Crittenden said importing the critical components from South Korea had “clearly been a disaster”.
“Together with serious long-term reliability and safety concerns, these quality issues completely negate any possible upfront cost savings,” Crittenden said.
“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with international borders shut to FIFO welders, now is an ideal opportunity to employ Australian welders to rectify the serious issues discovered in train two, and undertake the urgent safety and quality inspections required on trains one and three.”
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