LNG

Jan 18 (LNG) - BHP Billiton, the Australian commodities and energy company, said it was contributing US$314 million to maintain LNG plant throughput at the North West Shelf project, operated by Woodside, at Karratha in Western Australia as part of a life-extension project. BHP said its second-half natural gas production was down 6 percent at 325 billion cubic feet because of hurricane shutdowns in the US. The Australian company noted that its average second-half LNG price was up 18 percent at US$7.75 per million British thermal units versus $6.58 per MMBtu in the second half of 2016. BHP's foreign assets include offshore operations in US Gulf of Mexico as well as onshore in the Eagle Ford and Haynesville Shale plays and the Permian Basin. “Onshore US drilling and development expenditure for the December 2017 half-year was US$336 million. Our operated rig count remained at nine during the December 2017 quarter,” said BHP.